ISLAMABAD: Queen Maxima of the Netherlands spent a busy day on Wednesday in the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi and visited some public and private sector institutions providing financial aid and other services to the poor.

Talking to journalists after her visit to the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) office in Rawalpindi, the queen said that she was impressed by the programme designed to help the poorest section of society.

Visiting Pakistan in her capacity as UN Secretary General’s Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development, the queen said Pakistan was very well-positioned to include all Pakistanis in the overall economic process.

BISP Chairperson Marvi Memon briefed the guest on various initiatives launched by the organisation. She said that the number of people benefiting from the BISP had crossed 5.2 million.

Published in Dawn, February 11th, 2016