Tashkent (TDI): Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif visited the “Asan Khidmat” (ASAN XIDMAT) centre in Baku, Azerbaijan on Tuesday and lauded the facility which offers over 400 services to residents, while also expressing plans to replicate the model in Islamabad.
The prime minister, who was on a 2-day visit to the Central Asian nation, toured the centre in the country’s capital which features modern technology and “excellent” human resources, which he stated reflected the foresight and dynamism of Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev.
“I also visited a startup center INNOLAND, where youngsters and volunteers are actively working. It is one of the most modern centres I have visited around the world. Credit goes to my brother Ilham Aliyev for his thought-provoking and visionary leadership,” PM Shehbaz said.
The prime minister said that while similar centres exist in Pakistan, such as those in Punjab, Baku’s Asan Khidmat centre distinguishes itself through its scale and modern service dellivery systems that effectively address the needs of people.
“We would love to benefit from Azerbaijan’s experience. I would be glad to have a replica of this in Islamabad,” he said.
The PM stated that Pakistan would like to start a pilot project in Islamabad based on the Asan Khidmat model and that his country would sign a deal with Azerbaijan to benefit from their experience.
He also invited a team from the centre to visit Pakistan to explore opportunities for cooperation.
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During the visit, the Chairman of the State Agency for Public Service and Social Innovation Ulvi Mehdiyev welcomed the prime minister.
During the briefing, he said that Asan Khidmat had become a renowned institution because of its excellent performance in providing efficient public services.
He said that the one-stop model facilitates the delivery of public services and provides people access to more than 400 services from thirty government and fifteen private institutions, all under one roof.
Mehdiyev briefed the premier that the centre was launched as part of comprehensive institutional governance reforms which ensure accountable, transparent and efficient delivery of public services, with peoples’ feedback playing a major role in driving improvements.
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PM Shehbaz was also briefed about the Mobile Asan Khidmat service, which includes specially manufactured buses and a train and delivering essential public services directly to local population.
Later the prime minister left Baku for Tashkent for a 2-day trip.
