Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar has expressed good wishes for the progress and well-being of Pakistan and its people. She was visiting the Punjab Assembly along with a 17-member parliamentary delegation and also met Assembly Speaker Rana Muhammad Iqbal Khan on Friday. She said that it was a historical occasion for her as she was the first Indian Speaker to visit Pakistan. “People of Pakistan have great love and affection for the people of India,” she said adding that Indians had sincere feelings and best wishes for the Pakistanis.
She said that parliamentary exchanges would bring the countries closer. She said that the two countries should understand each other’s problems and work in tandem. She also visited the “House” of the Assembly expressed the dire need to counter terrorism and illiteracy. Speaking on the occasion, Speaker Rana Muhammad Iqbal Khan said that external interference could not be tolerated in the internal affairs of our country and that all issues should be redressed via dialogue. “We want peace in the world; however, we cannot compromise on integrity and solidarity of the country,” he said adding that Pakistan and India, both should fight poverty and unemployment, as they were the common problems of both sides. He said that parliamentary delegations should collaborate and that regular talks were imperative for the region’s tranquility. He also said that the two countries could benefit from the expertise of each other in industry, trade, information and technology, agriculture, live stock among other fields. The Speaker informed the delegation that the Punjab Assembly, owing to legislation on 89 laws of public welfare had beaten the previous record. Later, Rana Iqbal Khan hosted a luncheon in the honour of the delegation.
