ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The Chairman Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan on Wednesday lashed out at the Foreign Office, saying considering Pakistan for its re-inclusion in Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) terrorist financing watchlist was a diplomatic failure on the part of Islamabad.
His remarks came at a Press Conference in Islamabad after the Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif said in a tweet that 35-member FATF had not reached consensus on the US-sponsored motion to place Pakistan on terrorist financing watchlist, and its Paris meeting deferred voting for the motion for three months and asked Asia Pacific Group (APG) for another report to be considered in June 2018.
Our efforts paid,FATF Paris 20Feb meeting conclusion on US led motion to put Pakistan on watch list
-No consensus for nominating Pakistan
-proposing 3months pause &asking APG for another report to b considered in June الحمداللہ
Grateful to friends who helped— Khawaja M. Asif (@KhawajaMAsif) February 20, 2018
“It is Pakistan’s diplomatic failure,” Imran Khan while commenting on the meeting of the FATF – an international body aims at to combat money laundering and terror financing – held in Paris to deliberate upon a US motion to place Pakistan in FATF’s grey list over non-compliance of its set standards which bars money laundering and terrorist financing.
Talking about the Country’s political situation, Imran Khan said the return of Abid Boxer to Pakistan was very concerning for the Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif.
The former Encounter Specialist in Punjab Police Abid Boxer, who had been wanted for his involvement in extrajudicial killings, connections with the underworld and land-grabbing, and was on the run for 11 years, was reportedly brought back to Pakistan by the law enforcement agencies.
Abid Boxer was arrested by the Interpol on February 8 in Dubai when he was returning from Malaysia.
The Chairman PTI further said Sharif family was targeting the Supreme Court of Pakistan to save its corruption. He said ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) was trying its best to cover up mugging of Sharif family, adding state institutions were also being destroyed by rulers.
Imran Khan said 22 political parties declared 2013 general elections as rigged, and stressed that for transparent elections scheduled in 2018, consultation among the political parties should be made on the caretaker government.