| Welcome to Global Village Space

Thursday, October 3, 2024

The real reasons why Pakistan was put on the FATF ‘grey list’

Junaid Ali Malik |

The modern-day states are more concerned about their individual interests. United States of America claims to be the real champion of peace and prosperity but its credentials are not showing a positive picture. Though its forefathers fought for liberalism, it seems to be a pure realist state. Its policies have caused more havoc than peace and stability on the nonviolent nations of the world. Its relations with Pakistan remained the victim of trust deficit.

This deficit generated from the time Pakistan decided to plunge into war in Afghanistan from 1979 to 1989. After it ended, cleaning the American mess became the responsibility of Pakistan. The history of the world was altered when 9/11 attacks occurred on US soil and the then incumbent Bush Administration sought the assistance of Pakistan in destroying Taliban regime holding power in Afghanistan. Pakistan again blindly supported US Machiavellian policy in the region.

The world has become a global village. States should be considered equal and giving priority to one over the other can sow the seeds of war. The US should stop appeasing India and must not ignore the strategic importance of Pakistan.

Indeed, Pakistan should have learnt some lessons from war against USSR, but the respective governments knelt down to the needs of the US for one more time and changed the state’s narrative in one night. The era of insurgency and war got back. Misconceptions among Pakistani people for the ruling elite, including military establishment, rose. Instead of getting support on an international level, everything belonging to Pakistan faced severe criticism. Pakistanis was and still is considered more of a threat than an ally to America.

Read more: Did dropping Pakistan support lead to China becoming Vice President of…

Nowadays, Pakistan is being exploited in the hands of the US and its allies, majorly the UK and India. The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is playing second fiddle to US whose administration is trying hard to scapegoat Pakistan for its failure in the rogue state of Afghanistan. Even by investing trillions of dollars, it could not prevent the terror network consisting of some thousand terrorists.

Has FATF forgotten the role of the US and the UK in Iraq, where their involvement caused the deaths of millions of innocent Iraqis? George Bush and Tony Blair did not face any inquiry even when it was approved under the Chilcot Report that the war was started on false information. They conceitedly claimed that they did whatever was in the interests of their respective states.

It failed to expose Indian warring ambitions even by capturing its serving navy officer Kulbhushan Jadhav who was the part of Indian terrorist program being operated from Pakistan’s western border.

American involvement in Asia and Africa brought only destruction and humiliation. Amid this, the Trump administration also forgot the role of India in promoting terror in the neighboring countries and stressed FATF to make Pakistan fall into its notorious ‘Grey List’. Trump, an ultra-right wing political leader, firmly believes that in the whole world it is only America that is the champion of human rights.

The recent move also showed the intentions of China and KSA that remained silent. Only Turkey supported Pakistan. Turkish support authorizes the fact that it is only Turkey that is an all-weather friend that supports Pakistan without any hidden agenda and accepts its sacrifices openly and bluntly. The reality of the matter is that the Pakistani government remained botched in countering the narrative built by USA and India.

Read more: Is FATF a tool reflecting US, UK hypocrisy?

It failed to expose Indian warring ambitions even by capturing its serving navy officer Kulbhushan Jadhav who was the part of Indian terrorist program being operated from Pakistan’s western border.

The world has become a global village. States should be considered equal and giving priority to one over the other can sow the seeds of war. The US should stop appeasing India and must not ignore the strategic importance of Pakistan. In spite of losing too much, Pakistan gained only disgrace from the war on terror and now its re-entry in the notorious list of FATF will cause a crack in already tumbling Pak-US relations.

Junaid Ali Malik is a professional writer. He considers writing is the sole purpose of his life. He has done masters in Commerce and History and holds PG Diploma in International Affairs. He is an entrepreneur by profession. He can be contacted at  alimalikmalik627@gmail.com or @junaidalimalik1. The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Global Village Space’s editorial policy.