PRIME Minister Shehbaz Sharif was so overwhelmed on witnessing the state-of-the-art service centre called “Asan Khidmat” (ASAN XIDMAT) in Baku that he gave full marks to ‘Brother Ilham Aliyev (President of Azerbaijan) for his thought-provoking and visionary leadership’.
He vowed to replicate the model in Islamabad and one can expect such a centre in the capital in coming months.
The enthusiasm of the Prime Minister was not without reason as the centre in the Azeri capital is providing one-stop access to over four hundred services to the residents from thirty government and fifteen private institutions.
The centre was launched as part of comprehensive institutional governance reforms which ensure transparent, accountable and efficient delivery of public services and its working in a dynamic manner explains why President Ilham Aliyev is so popular among his people.
There is also a Mobile Asan Khidmat Service, which includes specially designed buses and a train, delivering essential public services directly to local communities.
As pointed out by the Prime Minister, service centres have also been established by both the Federal and the Punjab Governments in Pakistan but it is the scale of services and use of modern technology that makes a difference between these and the one in Baku.
We hope that after proper study of the Baku centre, similar service centres will be established in all parts of Pakistan as such initiatives go a long way in promoting good governance, which is avowed commitment of all parties and politicians.
