ISLAMABAD, Sep 22 (APP):Pakistan and the Maldives on Monday agreed to expand bilateral cooperation in parliamentary diplomacy, trade, tourism, education, youth development, agriculture, health and information technology during a meeting between Pakistan’s Parliamentary Caucus on Child Rights (PCCR) and a visiting Maldivian parliamentary delegation at the National Assembly. Speaker of the National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq welcomed Speaker of the People’s Majlis of the Maldives Abdul Raheem Abdulla and his …
Pakistan, Maldives widen scope of parliamentary cooperation
ISLAMABAD, Sep 22 (APP):Pakistan and the Maldives on Monday agreed to expand bilateral cooperation in parliamentary diplomacy, trade, tourism, education, youth development, agriculture, health and information technology during a meeting between Pakistan’s Parliamentary Caucus on Child Rights (PCCR) and a visiting Maldivian parliamentary delegation at the National Assembly.
Speaker of the National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq welcomed Speaker of the People’s Majlis of the Maldives Abdul Raheem Abdulla and his delegation to Parliament, while Federal Parliamentary Secretary for Information and Broadcasting Barrister Danyal Chaudhry chaired the meeting of the PCCR with the Maldivian delegation.
Barrister Danyal highlighted the role of the PCCR in bringing children’s issues into parliamentary debate and legislation. He recalled that the caucus was established after a child questioned how Parliament could effectively legislate for children below the voting age of 18 when they were not represented in the electoral process.
He said parliamentary exchanges were important for strengthening institutional ties, building goodwill and creating new avenues for bilateral cooperation.
The Parliamentary Secretary described Pakistan-Maldives relations as being based on mutual respect, shared values and strong people-to-people ties, and called for greater collaboration in trade, education, tourism, health, climate change, youth development and defence.
He stressed that sharing expertise and information in public welfare sectors, particularly child rights, education and youth development, could benefit both countries.
The Maldivian delegation appreciated Pakistan’s support and reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening bilateral relations.
It identified tourism and fisheries as priority areas and expressed interest in cooperation in renewable energy, agriculture, education, vocational training and scholarships.
Members of the Pakistan-Maldives Parliamentary Friendship Group, including Dr Shaista Khan, Syeda Nausheen Iftikhar, Muhammad Usman Badini, Dr Shazia Sohaib Aslam Soomro, Sabeen Ghouri and Amjad Ali Khan, also called for broader cooperation in trade, youth development, agriculture, IT and digital collaboration, and health.
