Meeting reviews anti-money laundering, counter-terror financing measures

LAHORE, Sep 27 (APP): The Punjab Home Department convened a meeting to review progress on Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Counter Financing of Terrorism (CFT) measures, here on Saturday.
The meeting was chaired by Chairman AML/CFT and former Inspector General of Police Mushtaq Sukhera, and attended by Director General AML/CFT Ahsan Sadiq, as well as secretaries and senior officials from Home, Auqaf, Cooperatives, Board of Revenue, School Education, Health, Police, Child Protection Bureau, Social Welfare, and Prosecution departments.
Chairman Mushtaq Sukhera and DG Ahsan Sadiq also met Secretary Home Punjab Dr. Ahmad Javed Qazi and briefed him on the steps undertaken across the province to curb money laundering and terror financing.
The meeting reviewed Punjab’s performance on the FATF action plan and related institutional reforms. Chairman Mushtaq Sukhera said Punjab had played an effective and decisive role in enabling Pakistan’s removal from the FATF Grey List. He noted that strict enforcement of international-standard laws and improvements in the legal and institutional framework had strengthened the system.
The monitoring mechanisms of Auqaf, Trusts, and Cooperatives Departments also came under review. It was informed that the Punjab Cabinet had approved the Auqaf, Trust and Cooperative Societies Management Act 2025, which will serve as a model for other provinces.
Briefings highlighted that Punjab’s measures against human trafficking played a decisive role in Pakistan’s removal from the U.S. State Department’s “Trafficking in Persons Tier 2 Watch List.” Departments including Labour, Police, Social Welfare, and Child Protection were praised for their role in this achievement.
The meeting also expressed satisfaction over the performance of the Punjab Charity Commission. CEO Punjab Charity Commission Col (R) Shehzad Amir informed that more than 8,000 NGOs had been registered so far, with monitoring, digitalization, and outreach systems further strengthened. The Commission was described as the most effective among all provinces.
Chairman Mushtaq Sukhera assured that issues related to NGOs’ taxation and bank accounts would be resolved. He said Punjab had played a pivotal role in implementing the FATF Action Plan. He noted that the Punjab had established an effective monitoring regime, setting a model for other provinces. He emphasized that the continuity of reforms was essential to achieving lasting success in AML/CFT and related areas.