In a scathing attack on Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack, AIMIM chief and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi described Lashkar-e-Taiba as the “illegitimate child” of the Pakistani government and its intelligence agency, the ISI.
Owaisi urged the Centre to push for Pakistan’s re-entry onto the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list. The FATF is the global body that combats money laundering and terror financing, maintaining black and grey lists of countries with inadequate controls.
“My demand is that it is important to put Pakistan on the FATF’s ‘Grey’ list again….Pakistan’s deep state and establishment want that there should be a Hindu-Muslim divide in India, and this is the reason they did this (Pahalgam attack),” said Owaisi in Maharashtra.
#WATCH | Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Maharashtra | AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi says, "…My demand is that it is important to put Pakistan on the FATF's 'Grey' list again….Pakistan's deep state and establishment want that there should be a Hindu-Muslim divide in India, and this is… pic.twitter.com/Bbo9JrNDYs
— ANI (@ANI) April 28, 2025
Slamming Pakistan, Owaisi said leaders in Islamabad often threaten India with nuclear attacks. “Remember, if you enter a country and kill innocents, no country will stay silent, no matter who is in power. The way you attacked our country, the way people were asked their religion and shot, what religion are you talking about? You are worse than Khawarij (an Islamic sect considered deviant). You are ISIS sympathisers,” he said during a public meeting in Parbhani, Maharashtra, where he was speaking against the Waqf Amendment Act.
Owaisi further criticised Pakistan’s backwardness, saying, “You are not just half an hour behind, you are half a century behind India. Your country’s budget is not even equal to our military budget.”
Cautioning against divisive narratives, he emphasised that Kashmiris are an integral part of India. “How can we suspect them? Who died fighting terrorists? Who carried the injured on his shoulders? There is an attempt to create hate for Kashmiris. We must remain united. Pakistan, ISI and Lashkar-e-Taiba want conflicts between Hindus and Muslims,” he warned, urging the media to act responsibly.
What is FATF’s Grey List?
Pakistan was placed on the FATF grey list in June 2018 for being a safe haven for terror financing and money laundering. Being on the list means a country must work with FATF to address strategic deficiencies and is subject to closer scrutiny.
When a nation is grey-listed, it commits to resolving identified issues within a set timeframe while being monitored intensively.
In 2022, FATF acknowledged Pakistan’s “significant progress” in strengthening its anti-money laundering and counter-terror financing measures.
What led to Pakistan’s exit from FATF Grey List?
Pakistan landed on the grey list after a deficient National Risk Assessment in 2017 exposed serious gaps in its financial regulations. Following FATF’s urging in 2018, Pakistan committed to a 34-point action plan aimed at curbing terror funding and money laundering — a deadline that was extended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Over the next few years, Pakistan enacted major legislative reforms, including updates to its anti-money laundering and anti-terrorism laws. In September 2022, after an onsite evaluation, FATF confirmed that Pakistan had completed the action plan.
In October 2022, Pakistan was formally removed from the grey list. “Pakistan has strengthened the effectiveness of its AML/CFT regime and addressed technical deficiencies to meet the commitments of its action plans regarding strategic deficiencies that the FATF identified in June 2018 and June 2021, the latter of which was completed in advance of the deadlines, encompassing 34 action items in total. Pakistan is, therefore, no longer subject to the FATF’s increased monitoring process,” FATF said. However, FATF noted that Pakistan must continue to report on its progress.