President Asif Ali Zardari on Friday urged frequent exchange of parliamentary delegations between Pakistan and Afghanistan and forging stronger links between female parliamentarians of the two countries.
The president was talking to a delegation of Afghan female parliamentarians at the Presidency, an official statement said.
Zardari called for enhancing Pak-Afghan bilateral relations. Briefing reporters after the meeting, president’s spokesman Farhatullah Babar said the president called upon the female parliamentarians to make joint efforts and participate actively for advancing the cause of gender equality and emancipation of women.
The president stressed on ending all forms of discrimination against women both in Pakistan and Afghanistan and hoped that the visit by the Afghan parliamentarians would further strengthen cordial relations between the two countries. Babar said the president recalled his meeting with the first Convention of Women Parliamentarians from Afghanistan and South Asia last year and said the inclusion of Afghan female parliamentarians in the convention was as a giant leap towards a meaningful participation of female leaders for peace, security and reconciliation in the region.
The president, while referring to the current wave of militancy and extremism in the region, said the world would be a better place if more women were in positions of power.
He said Pakistan wanted to further enhance trade and investment ties with Afghanistan and urged on increasing the current bilateral trade that was around $2 billion to new heights.
He hoped that the new Afghanistan-Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement (APTTA) would boost trade and economic opportunities to mutual benefit and its smooth implementation would bear dividends for the people of both countries. Zardari said it was a moment of pride that the PPP had to its credit many firsts on the road to women emancipation, adding that Benazir Bhutto was the first female prime minister of Pakistan and the first female prime minister of the Muslim world.
Discussing the Afghan situation, the president said Pakistan stood for a peaceful, stable and prosperous Afghanistan, which was in Pakistan’s own interest. He reiterated that Pakistan would support every effort to bring in peace and stability in Afghanistan and desired an Afghan-led solution to the current situation. The delegation thanked the president for the meeting and appreciated various efforts being taken by the government for socio-political and economic empowerment of women of the country. The delegation included Asila Wardak Jamal, director of the Human Rights and Women’s International Affairs, Shinkai Karokhail, Razai Sadat Mangal, Golalei Nur Safi and Elay Ershad.
