ISLAMABAD: British High Commissioner Richard Crowder called on Finance Minister Ishaq Dar at the Ministry of Finance on Thursday. He was accompanied by UK Deputy Head of Department for International Development (DFID) Judith Herbertson in Pakistan and secretary EAD also participated in the meeting. The finance minister and the acting high commissioner discussed the current state of bilateral ties between Pakistan and UK. He said that Pakistan and UK have a strong and historic partnership with mutual cooperation in various areas. He appreciated the continued support of the British government, including through DFID, for different initiatives and projects in Pakistan aimed at socio-economic development. He said that Pakistan is keen to work with the UK government to further strengthen bilateral ties and broaden economic cooperation. Dar said that after having achieved macroeconomic stability, the government is now focused on attaining higher, sustainable and inclusive economic growth. He said that Pakistan achieved a GDP growth rate of 5.28 percent in FY 2016-17, the highest in a decade, and the growth target for FY 2017-18 is six percent.