Pakistan among top 50 countries with high terror-financing risks: Report

Islamabad: Pakistan is among the top 50 countries with high terrorism financing and money laundering risks, according to a latest report by a Swiss group.

The Basel Institute on Governance, in its 2017 edition of the Basel Anti-Money Laundering (AML) Index which has assessed 146 countries regarding money laundering and terrorism financing risks, said that Afghanistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka stand out with particular high risk scores in the Index.

Pakistan has been placed on the 46th position in the list of 146 countries which have been given marks on a scale of 0 -- low risk to 10 -- high risk, by the Switzerland-based independent not-for-profit competence center.

The average risk score this year is equal to 6.15.

The 10 countries with the highest AML risk are Iran, Afghanistan, Guinea-Bissau, Tajikistan, Laos, Mozambique, Mali, Uganda, Cambodia and Tanzania while the three lowest risk countries are Finland, followed by Lithuania and Estonia, the group said in a recent report published on its website.

Top-ranked Iran has scored 8.60 marks and bottom-ranked Finland 3.04. Pakistan has been given 6.64 marks, above this year's average of 6.18.

India has been placed on 88th rank with 5.58 marks, the report said.

The greatest improvements since 2016 have been made by Sudan, Taiwan, Israel and Bangladesh while the countries that deteriorated most severely in their scores in 2017 are Jamaica, Tunisia, Hungary, Uzbekistan and Peru, it said.

In South Asia, Afghanistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka have been given 8.38, 7.57 and 7.15 marks and placed on the second, 14th and 25th ranks respectively.