Pakistan has once again been retained in the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) 'grey list', giving the South Asian nation yet another jolt on Thursday.

The FATF body examined its efforts to counter terror financing and money laundering.

The decision was taken by the watchdog during their crucial meeting on Thursday.

FATF said in a statement, "Since June 2018, when Pakistan made a high-level political commitment to work with the FATF and APG to strengthen its AML/CFT regime and to address its strategic counter-terrorist financing-related deficiencies, Pakistan’s continued political commitment has led to significant progress across a comprehensive CFT action plan, including by: demonstrating that law enforcement agencies are identifying and investigating the widest range of TF activity, demonstrating enforcement against TFS violations, and working to prevent the raising and moving of funds including by controlling facilities and services owned or controlled by designated persons and entities."

"Pakistan should continue to work on implementing the three remaining items in its action plan to address its strategically important deficiencies, namely by: (1) demonstrating that TF investigations and prosecutions target persons and entities acting on behalf or at the direction of the designated persons or entities; (2) demonstrating that TF prosecutions result in effective, proportionate and dissuasive sanctions; and (3) demonstrating effective implementation of targeted financial sanctions against all 1267 and 1373 designated terrorists,  specifically those acting for or on their behalf," the statement said.

FATF directed Pakistan to complete its full action plan before June 2021.

The statement further said, "The FATF takes note of the significant progress made on the entire action plan. To date, Pakistan has made progress across all action plan items and has now largely addressed 24 of the 27 action items. As all action plan deadlines have expired, the FATF strongly urges Pakistan to swiftly complete its full action plan before June 2021."

At a time when Pakistan's progress on countering terror-financing and money laundering is being scrutinised at the Plenary meeting of the global watchdog Financial Action Task Force (FATF), a report has highlighted that Pakistan has suffered to losses worth billions due to being placed in the FATF's grey list thrice since 2008.

The findings were shared in a research paper published by an independent think tank named Tabadlab, titled "Bearing the cost of global politics - the impact of FATF grey-listing on Pakistan's economy".

The research paper revealed that "grey listing event spanned from 2008 to 2019, which may have been one of the reasons why the country's cumulative GDP losses towered up to at least $38 billion".

"Data suggested that Pakistan's removal from the grey list of the FATF has at times led to revival of the economy, as evident from an increase in the level of GDP for the years 2017 and 2018," argued the author of the research paper.

"A large portion of the $38 billion losses can be attributed to reduction in household and government consumption expenditure," the report added.

"One of the mechanisms by which FATF grey-listing can adversely affect the economy is through increased skepticism surrounding the economy's future outlook. This will most likely lead to a decline in local investment, exports and inward foreign direct investment," the report maintained.

The report findings come at a time when Pakistan's progress on actions taken to comply with FATF's global standards to curb money laundering and terror financing, are going to be reviewed at the plenary meeting of the FATF in Paris.

Experts believe that chances of Pakistan's exit from the grey list are grim as anti-money laundering and terror financing laws in the country are not fully compliant with global standards.

Government sources maintain that "Pakistan's progress on at least three out of six remaining action points need more work," adding that nothing could be said till a formal announcement by the FATF is not announced.

Pakistan has been struggling to comply with the FATF action plan as the country has failed to implement anti-terrorism and money laundering laws, leading to its inclusion in the FATF grey list in 2018 for the third time since the year 2008.

Pakistan's inadequate controls to deter terror financing and money laundering, continue to be a point that has kept the country under check of the global watchdog and incurred major economic losses.

Pakistan has put the blame on the US-India nexus for its placement on the grey list.

(IANS)