Lahore: The active actions of the Punjab government and efforts to curb financial crime and human trafficking have played a key role in Pakistan’s removal of Pakistan’s Channel 2 watch list from the U.S. State Department’s Human Trafficking Report.
This was held at the Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Counter-Terrorism Financing (CTF) meetings held in the domestic sector on Saturday.
The meeting reviewed the performance of Punjab in the FATF action plan and took steps to strengthen the implementation mechanism. It is understood that Punjab has successfully achieved all designated goals and a comprehensive report on this regard will be submitted to the federal government.
Mr Sukhera acknowledged that Punjab played an efficient and decisive role in Pakistan’s removal from the FATF Gray list.
He said the province has ensured strict compliance with international standards and national laws, thereby improving institutional stability and improving legal frameworks.
Departments – AUQAF, Trusts, Cooperatives, Labor, Police, Social Welfare and Child Protection Agency – briefed their measures to combat money laundering and terrorist finance. The meeting was also written on the surveillance system of Auqaf, Trust and the cooperative department.
The Punjab Cabinet is said to have recently approved the Auqaf, Trusts and Trusts and Cooperative Society Management Act for 2025, which will serve as a model for other provinces.
The meeting commended the performance of the Ministry of Labor, the Police, the Ministry of Social Welfare and the Bureau of Child Protection and Welfare for their contributions to combating human trafficking.
With the performance of the Punjab Charity Committee under scrutiny, the commission’s CEO retired Colonel Shehzad Amir said that in the context of monitoring, digitalization and outreach systems, more than 8,000 NGOs have been registered across the province so far. The Punjab Charity Committee is considered to be the most effective of all provincial committees.
Mr. Sukhera and Mr. DG Ehsan Sadiq also met with Home Secretary Ahmad Javed Qazi.
Mr. Sukhera promised that issues related to taxation and NGO bank accounts will be addressed. He reiterated that the role of Punjab in implementing the FATF action plan is decisive and that the province has a model model for introducing effective institutions. He asserted that “the continuity of reform measures is the key to sustainable success.”
The Executive Secretary and relevant senior officials attended the meeting.
Posted in Dawn on September 28, 2025
