ISLAMABAD: The Finance Ministry on Wednesday clarified that France had been an active partner of Pakistan during the implementation of its International Co-operation Review Group (ICRG) Action Plan and had

also provided technical support and guidance to Pakistan.

In a statement issued here, the ministry said, it had been noticed that some media outlets published misleading and baseless stories about French position on Pakistan’s engagement with Financial Action Task Force (FATF).

“It is clarified that France, like many other jurisdictions, has been an active partner of Pakistan during the implementation of its ICRG Action Plan and it has also provided technical support and guidance to Pakistan”, the statement added.

The statement said that Pakistan had given high-level political commitment to FATF for implementation of the action plan and was resolved to maintaining its momentum for improving its AML/CFT regime.

Over the last two years, Pakistan has made concerted efforts in this direction, which have also been recognized by the international community.

The Ministry, the statement added, would urge all to avoid any speculative, sensational or unsubstantiated reporting which could undermine our international cooperation and goodwill.

FATF would announce its future course of action on Pakistan’s Action Plan after conclusion of its Plenary meeting on June 25.