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ISLAMABAD, Nov 12 (APP):President of The Washington Times Holdings, Dr. Michael Jenkins, has commended the Inter-Parliamentary Speakers’ Conference (ISC) in Islamabad, describing it as a pivotal platform for fostering global peace, security, and development.
Addressing delegates, Dr. Jenkins lauded Pakistan’s leadership under Senate Chairman Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani, Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, and President Asif Ali Zardari for hosting the inaugural conference.
He emphasized the critical role of parliamentary and faith leaders, alongside a responsible and ethical media, in shaping societies guided by truth, justice, and moral principles.
Dr Jenkins offered condolences for the recent terrorist attack in Islamabad and called for strengthened cooperation among nations to achieve lasting peace, democratic resilience, and interfaith harmony.
Meanwhile, Representing the Speaker of the National Assembly of Cameroon, Dr. Kumase Simon has called on parliaments across the world to become “the moral rampart of nations” and lead global efforts for peace, justice, and cooperation amid rising mistrust and insecurity.
Dr. Simon praised Pakistan’s leadership in convening the landmark forum, describing it as “an act of responsibility, leadership, and courage” at a time of global uncertainty.
Emphasising the need for parliamentary diplomacy and collective action, the Cameroonian delegate urged parliaments to act as “bridges, not walls,” and to defend sovereignty, constitutional order, and equitable development as foundations for lasting peace.
“History will not remember what we said,” he declared. “History will remember what we had the courage to change.”
Ghana’s Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Andrew Asiamah Amoako, speaking on behalf of Speaker Rt. Hon. Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, has called for stronger global commitment to peace, dialogue, and institutional trust to address rising insecurity and inequality worldwide.
Delivering Ghana’s statement Amoako said peace and stability were prerequisites for development, warning that without them, “education, trade, innovation, and effective governance cannot flourish.”
He outlined Ghana’s multi-layered peacebuilding framework — including community-based early warning systems, the role of traditional leaders, civil society, and faith-based organisations — as a model for stability in West Africa.
The Deputy Speaker of the Liberian Parliament urged world legislatures to institutionalise parliamentary mechanisms for peacebuilding, mediation, and reconciliation, stressing that peace, security, and development form an inseparable continuum essential for global stability.
Representing the Speaker of Liberia’s 55th Legislature at the concluding session of the Inter-Parliamentary Speakers’ Conference (ISC) in Islamabad, he reaffirmed Liberia’s steadfast commitment to parliamentary diplomacy and international cooperation.
He highlighted Liberia’s long-standing partnership with the Universal Peace Federation and lauded Pakistan’s initiative in hosting the maiden ISC, terming it “a movement for global unity, justice, and shared prosperity.”