The move is part of a broader U.S. strategy to pressure
Pakistan to cut alleged links to Islamist militants unleashing chaos in
neighboring Afghanistan and backing attacks in India.
It
comes days after reports that Pakistan had been given a three-month
reprieve before being placed on the list, which could hamper banking and
hurt foreign investment.
The United States has spent
the past week lobbying member countries of the Financial Action Task
Force (FATF) to place Pakistan on a so-called grey list of nations that
are not doing enough to combat terrorism financing.
Pakistan
had launched last-minute efforts to avoid being placed on the list,
such as taking over charities linked to a powerful Islamist figure.
But
the campaign proved insufficient and the group decided late on Thursday
that Pakistan would be put back on the watchlist, a senior Pakistani
official and a diplomat with knowledge of the latest FATF discussions
told Reuters.
“The decision was taken yesterday. The
chair (of FATF) is expected to make a statement some time this afternoon
in Paris,” the diplomat said.
Source: Yahoo News
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