Human development top priority of PTI govt: Speaker

ISLAMABAD: Speaker National Assembly Asad Qaiser has said that human development is the top priority of the incumbent government.

“The progress of any society depends upon the better growth of its young generation and Pakistan Tehreek Insaf has made this philosophy its manifesto to bring revolution and establish a new Pakistan.,” he expressed these views while addressing the meeting of National Parliamentary Task Force on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the Parliament House on Tuesday.

The speaker said he was pleased to know that SDGs Parliamentary Task Force has already been working on the subject and has arranged a conference on the topic of malnutrition in children.

He said that after the passage of the 18th Amendment, most of the matters regarding the SDGs have been transferred to provincial governments. “However, the federation is still responsible for those international guarantees signed by the State of Pakistan,” he said.

He said that being real representative of the parliament he has a right to oversee and guide the people and the Executive in these matters.

The speaker stressed upon the Parliamentary Task Force to promote contacts with all provincial assemblies including that of Gilgit-Baltistan. He said that he will write letters to speakers of all provincial assemblies and give them suggestions for Constitution of such task force in their respective assemblies.

He expressed the hope that better results will be achieved with cooperation between federal and provincial task forces.

He said that Pakistan has the honour that its Parliament is the 1st Parliament in the world which included SDGs in its Parliamentary agenda and established up-to-date SDGs Secretariat in Parliament House with cooperation of United Nation Development Program. “All of us have to work together regardless of party affiliation for a prosperous, healthy and stable Pakistan,” he said

Asad Qaiser on the occasion assured all possible cooperation of National Assembly Secretariat to SDGs Parliamentary Taskforce.

While updating the members of task force about Project Management Unit (PMU) in the National Assembly Secretariat, he advised the members to utilise the facilities provided in the PMU.

He said that he has issued direction to PMU to prepare five year strategic plan for the National Assembly and a committee comprising representatives all parliamentary parties in the National Assembly will also be constituted in this regards. He further said that an important chapter regarding the SDGs task force will also be a part of this strategic plan.

The convener of National Parliamentary Taskforce SDGs Riaz Fatyana highlighted the issues of malnutrition and stunting during the meeting. He stressed the need for elimination of poverty and illiteracy to achieve SDGs agenda 2030.

Fatyana also informed the meeting that SDGs Parliamentary Task Force is going to organise a national conference on SDGs in March 2019 and regional conference on SDGs in mid of October 2019.

Besides convener of National Parliamentary Task Force on SDGs the MNAs who attended the meeting included Nawabzada Shah Zain Bugtti, Ms. Kishwer Zehra, Mr. Ali Wazir, Ms. Nafeesa Inayatullah Khan Khattak, Ms. Kanwal Shauzab, Ms. Mehnaz Akber Aziz, Ms. Shandana Gulzar Khan, Dr. Nausheen Hamid, Mr. Asad Mehmood, Mr. Faiz Ullah, Mr. Junaid Akbar, Ms. Wajiha Akram and Mr. Ramesh Lal.