ISLAMABAD: The permanent secretary of the UK’s Department for International Development, Matthew Rycroft, visited Pakistan to see first-hand how the DFID programmes are changing lives, said a British High Commission statement on Friday. During his visit to the DFID’s largest overseas programme, Rycroft met with Miftah Ismail, the adviser to the prime minister on finance, revenue and economic affairs, Dr Aisha Pasha and the finance minister for the Government of Punjab, as well as other senior provincial ministers. He visited Lahore, where he went to a government girls’ school and met teachers and students. Rycroft visited an NGO office, where he met beneficiaries from minority groups. “He was pleased to hear from women, religious minorities, members of the transgender community and people with a disability at the centre,” said the statement. He visited the Business Incubation Centre at the Lahore University of Management Sciences, where he spoke to women entrepreneurs on starting a business in Pakistan.
Speaking at the event, Rycroft said: “The UK and Pakistan have been long-standing partners for 70 years. We are committed to eradicating poverty and achieving prosperity for the country and its people. I’m pleased to be here to see how UK aid is working and the real-life impact of our programmes. We will continue to build stability in Pakistan by investing in start-ups to promote the culture of entrepreneurship in this country. Pakistan is on the path to development and I’m confident that it will reach its true potential in the coming years.
