Asad Qaiser, the Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan
Asad Qaiser, the Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan, has praised the speech by Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani at the opening of the 140th Assembly of IPU.
Asad Qaiser, who is leading the Pakistan’s parliamentary delegation to the first-ever IPU Assembly session in any Arab country, termed it a historic occasion, when an Arab country has taken a lead in international parliamentary diplomacy.
“H H the Amir talked of promoting dialogue, peace and cooperation among nations, which is vital for global harmony and prosperity,” he noted.
In an interview with The Peninsula, he expressed his pride over the fact that Pakistan, for the first time, had been elected as the President of Asia Pacific Group of the IPU.
“Today I presided over a meeting of Asia Pacific Group which is an honour for Pakistan and I will be using this platform to promote peace, stability and more parliamentary coordination between the world nations,” he added.
He said that the theme of the general debate ‘Parliaments as platforms to enhance education for peace, security and the rule of law’, was great which reflected the importance of education and its effective role in achieving these goals.
“The 140th Assembly of IPU is also important on the grounds that during this session elections of various committees have to be held,” he said, adding that almost all regional, international issues of importance will be discussed in IPU Assembly and related meetings.
Expressing his satisfaction over likely inclusion of emergency items like Palestine issue and Islamophobia on the agenda, Asad Qaiser said that the Assembly’s proceedings would help establish peace through parliamentary diplomacy.
To a question about Qatar’s role in the Taliban-US talks, Qaiser said that Qatar’s initiative of facilitating talks was a great step to establish peace in restive Afghanistan.
“We highly appreciate Qatar’s role and through Qatar’s support, Afghanistan dispute will soon be settled.”
On Qatar-Pakistan relations, the Speaker said that the ties between both countries are excellent and are growing stronger with the passage of time particularly after Prime Minister Imran Khan’s visit to Qatar in January this year.
“Both countries are in close coordination to find new ways of cooperation to bolster bilateral ties. We love Qatari brothers and a large Pakistani community is serving Qatar for the last four decades.”
Asad Qaiser also thanked the Qatari government for providing safe environment, equal opportunities and job securities to Pakistani expatriates living and working in Qatar. To another question, Qaiser said that Pakistan would welcome Qatari investors in Pakistan where they could invest in multiple sectors.
“Pakistan under its new visa policy has eased visa process for passport holders of 175 countries including Qatar and this step will bolster tourism and investment in Pakistan.”
He also urged Qatari investors to take benefit from multi-billion dollar China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and become part of this ambitious project.
