Pakistan ready to give compliance report to FATF

ISLAMABAD/LONDON: Pakistan will present its compliance report to the next meeting of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) scheduled to take place in Paris from October 12 to 15, but there are fears that it may fall below the expectations with regards to what was expected.

Economic affairs minister Hammad Azhar will present the report. The Pakistani delegation is scheduled to leave for France on October 13 as Pakistan’s case will be taken up on October 14-15.

Despite the optimism shown by the Pakistani side, it is feared that the FATF would not accept the level of compliance that Pakistan says it has attained.

Meanwhile, Pakistani authorities on Thursday arrested four aides of Islamist leader Hafiz Saeed, the suspected mastermind of the terror attack on Mumbai in 2008, on terrorism financing charges. Saeed, arrested on the same charges, has been on judicial remand since July.

KHAN MAY VISIT SAUDI, IRAN TO END TENSIONS

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan is likely to visit Iran and Saudi Arabia later this month as part of Islamabad’s efforts to defuse the increasing tensions in West Asia, according to a media report.

Quoting foreign office sources, The Express Tribune reported that Khan is likely to visit Tehran and Riyadh later this month to mediate between Iran and Saudi. However, the dates are yet to be finalised.

MUSHARRAF’S PLEA SHOT DOWN BY COURT

The Islamabad High Court on Thursday rejected a plea by former president Pervez Musharraf to dismiss the FIR registered against him over the murder of Ghazi Abdur Rasheed, a cleric of Lal Masjid where an army operation was carried out in 2007.

‘HATE SPEECH’: ALTAF HUSSAIN CHARGED IN UK

British police have charged London-based founder of Pakistan’s MQM movement, Altaf Hussain with encouraging terrorism, Scotland Yard announced on Thursday, after a speech he made in 2016 to supporters in Karachi was followed by violent protests.

He faces up to seven years imprisonment for the speech which was which was “likely to be understood” as encouraging supporters to acts of terrorism.