Rs 3,000
With the successful conclusion of Chief Minister Bihar’s visit to Karachi, Islamabad and Lahore from November 09-16, PILDAT’s vision behind facilitating this visit stands fulfilled. Peace and Friendship for Good Governance, as PILDAT envisioned a year earlier and extended invitation to Chief Minister Bihar to visit Pakistan, are the way forward for improving deepening Pak-India relations. While PILDAT has and continues to facilitate a Parliamentary Dialogue between Pakistan and India on issues including Kashmir, Siachin, River Water, Tourism and Trade, among others, we envisaged that beyond the countries’ capitals, the conversation must also include experience sharing on good governance and on basic public issues including Education, Health, Poverty Eradication, and Right to Services. After the 18th Amendment to the Constitution of Pakistan, it was logical that experience sharing on Good Governance must take place at the Provincial level, reservoir of power in Pakistan. Based on this idea, PILDAT began working with the Provincial Governments of Punjab and Sindh in Pakistan to initiate experience sharing on Good Governance with India by inviting Mr. Nitish Kumar, Chief Minister of Bihar. The “Bihar Miracle” of growth, the successful initiatives of Nitish Kumar in introducing Right to Public Services and Right to Information, and impressive results in compound annual growth rate of Bihar, all were the reasons why PILDAT believed experience sharing on providing equitable growth and services to citizens must begin between Bihar in India and Pakistan’s provinces.
