ISLAMABAD, Feb 7 (APP): Chairman Senate Muhammad Sadiq Sanjrani Tuesday said Pakistan was focused on enhanced regional connectivity and trade through land routes with member states of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU).
He expressed these views during a meeting with IPU President Duarte Pacheco, who called on him here at his office.
The IPU President is on a visit to Pakistan to attend the two-day conference organized by International Parliamentarians Congress (IPC) on Road Safety starting from February 8.
The Senate chairman said that road safety was a global issue that needed collective efforts by all stakeholders, saying “everyone has to work together for it.”
During the meeting, the two sides discussed matters related to increased institutional cooperation besides making the IPU a more dynamic forum.
He said that realizing the importance of this issue, the IPC decided to utilize the experiences of international political leaders and experts to formulate strategies and recommendations through a joint action plan.
Sadiq Sanjrani underlined that Pakistan was determined to promote peace, democracy, human rights, gender equality and sustainable development as per the mission of IPU.
Declaring road safety one of the confronted global challenges, he said “Road safety is very important in the overall development process, and it is the problem is of a global nature.”
The chairman briefed the visiting dignitary about the constitutional and legal role of the Upper House of Pakistan’s Parliament and the process of electing Senate members.
Among others, Senator Faisal Saleem Rehman, Secretary Senate Mohammad Qasim Samad Khan and senior officials were also present in the meeting.
Describing the IPU an “ideal platform,” Sadiq Sanjrani said it could play an important role in national and regional development.
“Pakistan has full confidence that increased inter-parliamentary cooperation through IPU can lead to development opportunities, and peaceful resolution of disputes”, Sadiq Sanjrani reiterated.
He drew the attention of the IPU President towards massive human rights violations being committed in Indian Illegal Occupied Jammu and Kashmir and Palestine, stressing the need for early settlement of the longstanding issues.
The President IPU described his visit to Pakistan as very important and said that Pakistan’s active role in the body was recognized worldwide.
