Pakistan wants peace with all neighbours to ensure economic progress in the region, said President Mamnoon Hussain on Wednesday while addressing the delegates of Asian Parliamentary Assembly (APA) at the luncheon hosted by him at the Governor House. The president expressed the optimism that the APA would achieve its goals of peaceful coexistence, perseverance in the face of challenges, tolerance, and religious harmony.
He welcomed the APA delegates to the historic city of Lahore and lauded efforts of Senate Chairman Syed Nayyer Hussain Bokhari for the formation of Asian Parliament.
He hoped that the APA would be successful in attaining enhanced inter-parliamentary cooperation, expertise in the areas of better public policy, legislation and public outreach.
The president stressed the need to neutralise common roadblocks in the way of Asia’s rise as the global economic, technological and cultural hub. The Asian countries, he said, were facing socio-economic, geo-political, energy, security, trade, human rights, education and health challenges.
The huge challenges, he added, could be subdued with the human will and the young energetic population.
He said that Pakistan was confidently treading the path of political and economic stability though it had been faced with daunting challenges of human development, economic and security fronts – more essentially rooted in frequent interruption of democratic process.
Pakistan, he said, had to face the repercussions of a decade-long role as the front-line state in international war on terror.
