Pakistan Shows Loyalty To US Amid FATF Concerns, Bestows Highest State Honour On CENTCOM Chief
Pakistan has awarded US Central Command chief General Michael Kurilla with Nishan-e-Imtiaz, in an attempt to show loyalty to the United States amid FATF grey listing concerns.
In a move showing its loyalty towards the United States amid brewing FATF concerns, Pakistan awarded Nishan-e-Imtiaz (Military), one of the country's highest state honours, to US Central Command (USCENTCOM) chief General Michael Kurilla.
In a high-profile ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Islamabad, Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari conferred the award on Kurilla for his role in promoting regional peace and enhancing US-Pakistan military ties, a symbolic and strategic signal to Washington.
General Kurilla held extended meetings with Pakistan's top civil and military brass, including President Zardari and COAS Field Marshal Gen. Asim Munir, discussing regional peace, defence cooperation, and counterterrorism strategies.
According to diplomatic sources, by conferring the highest military honour, Pakistan is showing loyalty and alignment with the US defence establishment.
Pakistan's gesture comes in the ongoing IMF dependency and FATF legacy concerns, where it was placed in the grey list in June 2018 and removed in October 2022.
The US is one of the original founding members of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), established in 1989. America plays a significant role in shaping FATF's policies, standards, and country reviews, especially on matters of terror financing and proliferation.
India has intensified its diplomatic efforts to pressure FATF to reverse Pakistan's exit from the grey list, citing the neighbour's ongoing failures in curbing terror financing after the Pahalgam terror attack.
Pakistan's gesture of awarding the USCENTCOM helps rebuild its image with Washington and will help financial goodwill via back channels, sources said.
'Pakistan is playing a double side as on one side they are dependent on China, Islamabad is sending subtle signals that it's not entirely dependent on China now," they added.
CENTCOM remains crucial for post-Afghan regional military strategy for the US after its exit from the country in 2021.
Pakistan is reasserting its role as a logistics and intelligence partner for the US in the AfPak–West Asia corridor – which refers to a set of proposed and evolving transport and trade corridors connecting Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the broader West Asia region.
'Pakistan's military views CENTCOM ties as a key source of legitimacy, training, arms, and prestige and awarding Kurilla helps its purpose," sources said.
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First Published:
July 27, 2025, 08:20 IST
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