PARIS, Feb 18 (INP): A six-day meeting of the Financial Action Task Force, a global body that combats terrorist financing and money laundering, begins today. The meeting has potentially grave implications for Pakistan following a move, orchestrated by the US and supported by its allies, to place Pakistan on the watchlist of countries that financially aid terrorism. Official sources reveal that the prime minister’s finance adviser, Miftah Ismail, visited Germany, Netherlands and Belgium last week in an attempt to garner support against the US move. Similarly, power minister Awais Leghari visited Malaysia recently in this regard. Sources said of the 35 permanent members of the FATF, only China supports Pakistan whereas the rest are likely to fall behind the US resolution. Pakistan’s international credit rating could suffer a setback as a result of being placed on the list, as several global financial institutions are influenced by the FATF, which includes around 700 members in total, including the United Nations, European Commission, International Monetary Fund and World Bank. The United States (US) has put forward a motion to place Pakistan on a global terrorist-financing watchlist with an anti-money laundering monitoring group, according to a senior Pakistani official. Pakistan has been scrambling in recent months to avert being added to a list of countries deemed non-compliant with terrorist financing regulations by the FATF, a measure officials fear could hurt its economy. Adviser to the Prime Minister on Finance, Revenue and Economic Affairs, Miftah Ismail said the United States and Britain put forward the motion several weeks ago, and later persuaded France and Germany to co-sponsor it. “We are now working with the US, UK, Germany and France for the nomination to be withdrawn,” Ismail said, speaking by telephone from Europe. “We are also quite hopeful that even if the US did not withdraw the nomination that we will prevail and not be put on the watchlist,” he added. Pakistan was previously on the FATF watchlist from 2012 to 2015.