FATF flags Pakistan bid to ship in missile gear from China on sly

NEW DELHI: A new report by Financial Action Task Force has flagged Pakistan's attempts to procure equipment for its missile programme by mislabeling shipment, drawing attention to the country's failure in implementing measures to combat financing of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, which is one of the recommendations of the global watchdog.The report not only reveals that critical components for ballistic missiles originating from China were mislabeled in documents but also links the importer to Pakistan's National Development Complex which handles missile production.India is likely to use the revelations in its dossier to make another push for Pakistan's return to the FATF 'grey list' which identifies countries with weaknesses in their anti-money laundering and terror financing systems. These countries are subjected to closer monitoring and must demonstrate progress on corrective action plans. Pakistan has been on the list three times with the most recent sanction of 2018 lifted in 2022.In Feb 2020, a Chinese vessel named 'Da Cui Yun', which was en route to Port Qasim in Karachi, was intercepted at Gujarat's Kandla port. While the equipment was seized, the ship and its crew were allowed to leave after investigation.In its latest report titled 'Complex Proliferation Financing and Sanctions Evasion Schemes', FATF refers to the investigation by Indian Customs. "Indian authorities confirmed that documents mis-declared the shipment's dual-use items. Indian investigators certified the items for shipment to be 'autoclaves', which are used for sensitive high energy materials and for insulation and chemical coating of missile motors," it read."The sensitive items are included in dual-use export control lists of the Missile Technology Control Regime, India, and other jurisdictions. The Bill of Loading of the seized cargo provided evidence of the link between the importer and National Development Complex," it added.FATF may release the report next month amid hopes in India that it would expose Pakistan's inadequacies in combating terror financing - something which could potentially result in the country being placed under enhanced monitoring, and being returned to 'grey list'.This move would subject Pakistan to increased financial scrutiny, impacting foreign investment and capital inflows. India has been pushing for Pakistan's return to the list, citing its brazen support for terrorism and failure to comply with FATF norms.