Federal Finance Minister, Ishaq Dar on Saturday said, "The Open Government Partnership (OGP) initiative will promote transparency, citizen participation and democratic innovation in Pakistan." He expressed these views during a meeting with the President of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Sardar Masood Khan who called on him in Islamabad, said a statement issued here.
President AJK thanked the Finance Minister for his co-operation and support in addressing and resolving the issues of the AJK government on priority basis. He appreciated the move of the Government of Pakistan to join the OGP initiative and observed that it would improve the image of Pakistan. He said, "Pakistan's standing has globally improved due to the enabling environment created by the PML-N Government." President AJK discussed with the Finance Minister budgetary outlays and details of developmental projects of the AJK government.
The Finance Minister said, "The Federal Government is cognizant of these issues and fully supports the AJK government on its agenda of early completion of its development projects." "The federal government has always given all possible support to the AJK and will continue to do so," he added. President AJK said that due to the policies of macro-economic stability brought about by the government, the outlook of Pakistan has improved. He emphasized that the AJK government appreciates the hand holding of the federal government in addressing the financial matters of AJK.
The Finance Minister also shared the details of his recent visit to France for joining the OGP initiative. The Minister also shared that the Government is also planning to sign the OECD Convention on Anti-bribery. Senior officials of the Ministry of Finance and AJK also participated in the meeting.