ISLAMABAD - Pakistan is currently working to meet the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) criteria and parameters to formally apply for accession to its Convention on Combating Bribery.
This was stated by Finance Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar during his bilateral meeting with OECD Secretary General Angel Gurria in Paris. This was his second meeting with the OECD secretary general in the last three months.
Dar informed the secretary general that the OECD Multilateral Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters - which he signed on 14th September, 2016, in Paris - has been ratified by the Pakistani Cabinet.
The OECD secretary general invited Pakistan to join OECD Development Centre and offered OECD’s technical help for developing Pakistan’s National Action Plan for OGP. He also welcomed Pakistan’s membership to Open Government Partnership (OGP).
Earlier, the finance minister met with Sir Eric Pickels, Head of UK Anti-Corruption on the sidelines of OGP Summit. Sir Eric also congratulated the finance minister on joining OGP. Dar informed Sir Eric that Pakistan was the first country to issue a Tax Directory of parliamentarians and the fourth country to publish General Tax Directory of tax payers for the three consecutive years. They also discussed matters relating to transparency and good governance.
ENGIE (a leading French energy company) head Denis Simonneau also called on the finance minister at the Embassy of Pakistan in Paris and expressed interest of his corporate group to cooperate in the field of energy in Pakistan.
All the meetings were also attended by Economic Affairs Division Secretary Tariq Bajwa, Ambassador of Pakistan to France Moinul Haque and Embassy team.