NA speaker opens First Saarc Young Parliamentarians’ Conference

ISLAMABAD: Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq has said that Saarc future leaders could settle the outstanding issues through dialogue and engagement to move towards peace and prosperity in the region.

He was addressing the inaugural ceremony of the 1st Saarc Young Parliamentarians’ Conference 2016 being held in Islamabad from 16-18 August, 2016 which was attended by 28 parliamentary delegates from the Saarc member countries along with four international experts.

Saarc Secretary General Arjun Bahadur Thapa was also present during the conference.Calling it a momentous occasion in the history of democracy of the region, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq said that South Asia must not remain a “Prisoner of the Past” but it should radiate fresh ideas and aspirations of our combined future.

He said that statesmanship demanded that we confront our issues judiciously and address them honestly with an aim to solve them sincerely.  He outlined that shared cultures and histories of the region, and developing economies could provide ample opportunities to work together to address common challenges.

Sardar Ayaz highlighted that the goal of holding this conference was to build bridges between the future leaders of South Asia on a platform that supports continued engagement and cooperation. He urged the young parliamentarians to grasp the opportunity and with wide-ranging legislative and oversight powers and to turn the dream of a peaceful and prosperous neighbourhood into a beaming reality.

He urged the delegates to make Saarc Young Parliamentarians Conference into a forum that could streamline youth-related initiatives through legislative, representative and oversight tools within and outside members of Parliament for the mutual goal of youth emancipation.

While addressing the conference, Arjun Bahadur Thapa stressed the need for regional cooperation and explained how Saarc had grown as an organisation in last 31 years. He said the Youth of South Asia was growing in number and by utilising their full potential the goal of poverty eradication from the region could be achieved.

The convener of the conference Malik Muhammad Uzair Khan welcomed the delegates and other participants and termed the conference as a step in the right direction for achieving peace and harmony in the region.

The Acting Head of the EU Delegation to Pakistan Stefano Gatto while making his remarks said that it was the collective responsibility of the South Asian countries to strengthen the democracy in the region.

The two day Conference has been jointly organised by National Assembly of Pakistan and Pakistan Institute for Parliamentary Services (PIPS).