MUZAFFARABAD, June 19: The AJK Assembly’s finance committee has approved an expenditure of Rs4 million for seven lawmakers and an official who will be visiting the United States next month.

The list of visitors includes Speaker Sardar Siab Khalid, Finance Minister Raja Nisar Ahmed Khan, Communication and Works Minister Chaudhry Tariq Farooq, Education Minister Chaudhry Mohammad Aziz, Electricity Minister Sardar Mir Akbar Khan, rules and procedure and privileges committee chairman Shah Ghulam Qadir, Raja Mujahid Khan, an MLA from the opposition Peoples Party, and the assembly’s secretary Sardar Mohammad Azam Khan.

The purpose of the visit is to attend a “negotiation skills training workshop” designed to enhance the “capacity building” of parliamentarians.

The workshop is being held in Washington, DC, under the auspices of the Institute of Multi-Track Diplomacy.

The finance committee comprises five members and is led by the speaker, who is its chairman. Except for Deputy Speaker Alhaj Sanaullah Qadri, all other members of the committee are part of the delegation.