Pak-Japan friendship: ‘People-to-people ties have fundamental importance’

ISLAMABAD: New Japanese Ambassador Takashi Kurai on Wednesday hosted a dinner at his residence to exchange views with members of the Pakistan-Japan Parliamentary Friendship Group (PJPFG) in the National Assembly (NA).

In a short speech, after welcoming NA Speaker Ayaz Sadiq and the other MNAs, Ambassador Kurai said that in the long run, “people-to-people relations are the very foundation for the whole relationship between two countries, and thus, to enhance exchange of the members of the parliaments, who are representatives of the respective peoples, is of fundamental importance.”

He reiterated the significance of a visit of PJPFG members to Japan last year and pledged that all efforts would be made for the Japanese side to reciprocate accordingly.

Earlier in his speech, the ambassador, who had not been to Pakistan prior to his posting, also offered a few anecdotes about Pakistanis. The first was one he had heard from a Japanese dignitary who visited a school in a poor area. The dignitary had assumed that the children would ask his delegation for money, but instead, all they wanted was pens and notebooks, which is a positive sign.

Sadiq opened by noting that he could “see all parties represented here today, which is unusual,” referring to the multi-party attendees.

In a lighter vein, he also told the ambassador that, “You must have served in many countries, but Pakistan is the most exciting. You get to see dharnas, protests, and other such events.”

Sadiq expressed that the visit of the PJPFG, led by MNA Leila Khan, to Japan in February 2015, was very successful and greatly contributed to fostering mutual understanding between parliamentarians of the two countries. He also expressed his desire to not only increase the frequency of Japanese parliamentarians’ visits to Pakistan, but also to host his opposite number -- the speaker of Japan’s House of Representatives.

“We will welcome a visit from the speaker... never has there been such a high level visit. Let us share experiences and try to improve,” Sadiq said.

On the sidelines, parliamentarians expressed their disappointment with Jamshed Dasti’s outburst in the NA earlier in the day, with some suggesting that the speaker should have ejected the MNA from the house, at least temporarily, while others praised Sadiq’s restraint.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 20^th, 2016.