Erdogan’s Turkey sole supporter of Pak for removal from Grey List at FATF Paris Plenary

Turkey was the only country out of 39 members of Financial Action Task Force (FATF) which spoke for Pakistan to be removed from the Grey List at the Paris Plenary meeting on Friday.

The Pakistan-Turkey growing equation is development of a new found radical Islamic axis seeking to upstage the established order led by Saudi Arabia. Turkey led by Racep Tayyip Erdogan, who is trying to revive the Ottoman empire legacy for his political sustenance, along with Pakistani deep state are sending irregulars to Azerbaijan in the age old conflict with Armenia.

According to diplomats based in Paris and Brussels, all the countries except Turkey were in favour of retaining Pakistan in the Grey List for the lack of compliance with all the deadlines expired. For the record Pakistan addressed only 21 out of 27 action plan items with another review looming in February 2021. The Paris Plenary was held between October 21-23.

While in the meeting of International Cooperation Review Group (ICRG) before the Plenary, Turkey, China and Saudi Arabia spoke for Pakistan to be removed from the Grey List on technical grounds, only Turkey was left to support its new friend Pakistan in the Plenary.

“Turkey has been fomenting trouble everywhere from Iraq, Syria to Libya and Azerbaijan. They, along with Pakistan, with ISI and military experience of organizing terrorism and Islamist insurgencies, are at the sharp edge of violence, instability and unrest in different parts of the world,” said a Middle-East watcher.

Like Pakistan, Turkey is a pariah state at odds with Russia over Syria and Armenia-Azerbaijan, with US for buying Russian weapons, with EU over migrant issues and with India over its uncalled interference in Jammu and Kashmir. Istanbul has hardly any relations with Beijing even though the former being a major trade power. Pakistan depends on Turkey for defence cooperation and for making statement against India on the J & K issue.

While Pakistan’s FATF Grey List case comes up for review in February 2021, all anti-India terrorists groups and mafia dons are based in that country, be it 1993 Mumbai blast accused Dawood Ibrahim, 2008 Mumbai massacre accused Hafiz Saeed and 2016 Pathankot air base attack accused Masood Azhar.