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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Afghanistan can play an important role to strengthen the regional economy and security and their strong bilateral relations can serve as role model for other countries, said the National Assembly speaker here on Tuesday.
Talking to Abdul Rauf Ibrahimi, speaker of the Wolesi Jirga of Afghanistan and head of an Afghan parliamentary delegation currently visiting Pakistan, National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq called for stronger Pakistan-Afghanistan parliamentary engagements. Referring to Pakistan-Afghanistan relations, he said they were deep-rooted in stronger people-to-people contacts, cultural affinities and shared interests. “Pakistan is the largest stakeholder in a peaceful and prosperous Afghanistan and the future of both countries is linked,” he said. Stating that Pakistan attached great value to its relations with Afghanistan, Sadiq said that Afghanistan was the heart of Asia.
The speaker stressed the need for cooperation between the two countries on inclusive democracy in the region. He assured his Afghan counterpart that Pakistan would help Afghanistan build capacity of the members and staff of the Wolesi Jirga and share best parliamentary practices, legislative drafting and research with them. He said that Pakistan was committed to dignified repatriation of the Afghan refugees and was willing to provide all kinds of assistance to Afghanistan after departure of the coalition forces. He expressed confidence in resilience of the Afghan and Pakistani people and said they would overcome the challenges and strengthen their economic and cultural relations.
Ibrahimi stressed the need for stronger parliamentary relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan. He praised Pakistan for its support to the Afghan Parliament. He said that relations with Pakistan were the most important part of the Afghan foreign policy and expressed his hope that people on both sides of the border would share their future in a peaceful and prosperous region. He said that Afghan refugees were indebted to Pakistan, which was providing them shelter and economic opportunities for the last 37 years. He underlined the need for expansion of Pakistan-Afghanistan relations.
Pakistan-Afghanistan Parliamentary Friendship Group Convener Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao and National Assembly Member Sajid Hussain Turi were also present.
Separately, ambassadors of Iran and Uzbekistan called on Sadiq at the Parliament House on Tuesday and discussed parliamentary and economic relations among the three countries.
Talking to Iranian Ambassador Mehdi Honardoost, Sadiq said that stronger Pakistan-Iran relations were inevitable for regional peace, security and prosperity. He said that lifting of sanctions on Iran would pave the way for revival of economic and commercial relations between Pakistan and Iran. He said that Iran and Pakistan were interlinked through multi-dimensional relations. Highlighting Iran’s geopolitical significance, he said that Iran’s role was central to unifying the Muslim world. He underlined the need for proactive parliamentary diplomacy to promote cooperation among the Muslim countries. He appreciated Iran’s role in the recently held conference of the Parliamentary Union of Islamic Countries (PUIC) in Baghdad. He said that Iran’s cooperation in the energy sector was crucial to easing Pakistan’s energy crisis. He called for diversification and expansion of trade relations between the two countries.
Honardoost thanked the Pakistani leadership for lifting sanctions on Iran. He said this step would unleash a new era of mutual cooperation in trade and commerce between Iran and Pakistan. He told Sadiq that Iran was committed to assisting Pakistan in the energy sector and attached immense importance to its relations with Pakistan. He praised Pakistan’s recent shuttle diplomacy between Tehran and Riyadh and said that Pakistan’s earnest efforts for unification of the Islamic world deserved appreciation.
Talking to Uzbek Ambassador Furkat Sidikov, Sadiq said that Pakistan and Uzbekistan had long cherished cordial relations. He said that Pakistan and Uzbekistan were natural partners in promotion of regional prosperity and stability. Sidikov endorsed Sadiq’s views and said that Uzbekistan was committed to strengthening parliamentary relations with Pakistan. He laid stress on diversification of trade and commercial relations between the two countries.
