ISLAMABAD: Speaker National Assembly of Pakistan, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq has said that terrorism, extremism, poverty, illiteracy and unemployment are the global challenges and these can be overcome through an exchange of knowledge, expertise and experiences.
Sardar Ayaz Sadiq expressed these views while addressing the inaugural ceremony of the Speakers and Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth Countries (CSPOC) in Victoria, Republic of Seychelles.
The Conference was inaugurated by the President of Seychelles Danny Faire. Speakers and presiding officers of 44 Commonwealth Countries attended the conference.
Ayaz Sadiq was unanimously elected as the representative from Asia to the 54-member Commonwealth’s standing committee for a two-year term till 2018. His election was conducted at the 23rd Conference of the CSPOC held in the Malaysian city of Kota Kinabalu.
While chairing the session on “Parliamentary Diplomacy”, NA speaker said that Parliament reflects the will of the people and its voice must be heard while deciding about matters relating to a country’s security and international image.
He said that speakers were the elected voices of the real representatives of the people and hence had a crucial role to play, not only in the conventional proceedings of their respective chambers but also in issues affecting their respective countries.
Sardar Ayaz Sadiq noted that over the years, the parliaments’ role all over the globe had diversified as more and more members of Parliaments were being tipped as international negotiators and peace-brokers.
While focusing on the mediatory and neutral nature of a Speaker’s role, Speaker Ayaz Sadiq termed “mediation” as a natural skill of any presiding officer. This skill, he said, enabled presiding officers to engage with their contemporaries to create goodwill and open parallel channels of communication.
He also informed the Speakers of the Commonwealth about his initiatives of forming 88 Friendship Groups in the National Assembly of Pakistan, which were instrumental in promoting bilateral relations of Pakistan with friendly countries.
He also touched upon the significance of multilateral forums, which enabled speakers and parliamentarians to exchange best practices, share views and understand each-other’s positions in an improved manner.
Sardar Ayaz Sadiq also shared the experiences of his parliamentary diplomacy with counterparts of the Commonwealth Countries while inviting the speakers and parliamentary delegations from China, Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Russian Federation, Germany, Sweden, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, United Kingdom, Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, Tajikistan, Saudi Arabia, Belarus and Republic of Korea to Pakistan.
During the conference, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq will also meet speakers and presiding officers of Commonwealth countries on sidelines of the meetings and discuss matters to enhance bilateral relations between their respective Parliaments.
CSPOC comprising the speakers of the Commonwealth countries is considered a prestigious parliamentary forum, which holds its meeting after every two year to discuss issues concerning the Chair in the smooth functioning of the institution of Parliament.
The aim of such the conference is to maintain, foster and encourage impartiality and fairness on the part of the speakers and presiding officers, promote knowledge and understanding of parliamentary democracy in its various forms as well as develop parliamentary institutions.