Punjab’s Minister for Information, Azma Bokhari, lashed out at the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), calling it “shameful and alarming” that India submitted Ali Amin Ghandapur’s controversial statement to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) as evidence against Pakistan. In a strongly worded statement on Friday, Azma Bokhari said, “This is an embarrassment not just for Chief Minister Ali Amin Ghandapur but for the entire PTI. These people never think before they speak.” 

She criticised PTI for deliberately damaging Pakistan’s reputation, recalling how the party previously protested outside IMF headquarters, wrote letters to the IMF, and attempted to sabotage Pakistan’s global standing. “PTI has used every possible tactic to bankrupt Pakistan,” she added, questioning how any hope could be expected from a party she believes has repeatedly worked against the nation’s interest.

Azma Bokhari contrasted this with the efforts of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, crediting him for removing Pakistan from the FATF grey list through tireless diplomacy. “Thanks to Shehbaz Sharif’s hard work, Pakistan now has access to Western markets and stronger ties with the EU,” she noted.She also criticised India, saying that after losing wars, it now resorts to false propaganda.  “Modi’s government is internationally isolated and trying to drag Pakistan back into the grey list through misinformation,” Bukhari asserted.

This comes after reports that India submitted Ghandapur’s remarks to FATF, requesting Pakistan’s re-entry into the grey list. FATF officials have acknowledged receiving the material, sparking political tensions within Pakistan. Earlier today, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur announced that he will personally write to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and seek to have India placed on its grey list, accusing New Delhi of spreading terrorism across Pakistan and the region. 

In a strongly worded policy statement on Friday, Gandapur said that India has misrepresented his remarks out of context before FATF and is attempting to frame Pakistan as a supporter of terrorism. "I will go to FATF myself to expose India's hand in terrorism, especially in KP and Balochistan," CM Gandapur asserted. He accused the Indian government of consistently using its consulates in Afghanistan to sponsor terrorism inside Pakistan.

“From Balochistan to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, every act of terror is linked back to India,” he claimed. On the other hand, FATF officials have confirmed receiving a submission from India, which includes a statement by Gandapur as part of its effort to re-list Pakistan on the FATF grey list. India has reportedly accused Pakistan once again of supporting terrorist networks, despite the FATF removing Pakistan from the grey list in October 2022 after four years of monitoring.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)