Emphasising the Inter-Parliamentary Union’s (IPU) role in resolving conflicts, Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday stressed the need for a just resolution of Jammu and Kashmir dispute for durable peace and stability in South Asia.
Talking to IPU President Gabriela Cuevas Barron, who called on him here, PM Imran highlighted the growing wave of “Hindutva under the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh-Bharatiya Janata Party dispensation that has emerged as a threat not only for minorities in India but also for regional peace.”
Conflict resolution is one of the IPU’s key strategic priorities, according to its working dynamics. The IPU is a global organisation with national parliaments of 179 countries as its members. The Senate and the National Assembly of Pakistan are both members of the IPU.
Barron, who is on a five-day visit to Pakistan, was accompanied by Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani.
The PM and the IPU president exchanged views on a wide range of issues related to inter-parliamentary cooperation, Covid-19 pandemic, regional peace and security.
The premier appreciated the IPU president’s contribution to advance parliaments and lawmakers’ roles. He also highlighted the IPU’s role in facilitating parliamentary diplomacy.
PM Imran underlined the unprecedented global health and economic challenges posed by the coronavirus. He said: “The government’s focus has been on saving lives, securing livelihoods, and stimulating the economy. The smart lockdown policy and other measures taken by the government have led to a significant improvement in the pandemic situation in Pakistan.”
The premier also underscored the country’s support for a political solution in Afghanistan and contribution towards an “Afghan-led and Afghan-owned” peace and reconciliation process.
Meanwhile, IPU President Barron also met President Dr Arif Alvi at Aiwan-e-Sadr. The meeting was also attended by Senate Chairman Sanjrani and Senator Mirza Muhammad Afridi.
President Alvi expressed the confidence that the IPU would play its role in protecting the rights of people of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
“The IIOJK people are in extreme misery as India has unleashed a reign of terror against the people that is a clear violation of UN resolutions,” he said, urging the world community to take notice of Indian oppression in the occupied territory.
In her remarks, Barron, a Mexican senator, said Mexico wanted to work with Pakistan to promote closer ties in areas of mutual interest.
Both sides stressed the need for further boosting bilateral relations in all fields to the mutual benefit of the people of Pakistan and Mexico.
President Alvi expressed the hope that the IPU president’s visit to Pakistan would help enhance parliamentary relations between the country’s parliament and IPU member parliaments.
Moreover, the IPU president called on Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and exchanged views on a wide range of subjects. Foreign Secretary Sohail Mahmood was also present during the meeting.
Qureshi highlighted the instrumental role the IPU and parliamentarians could play in promoting democracy, peace and security, human rights and development, and a rule-based multilateral system.
The foreign minister also underlined the centrality of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in Pakistan’s foreign policy. He apprised the IPU president of the worsening human rights and humanitarian situation in IIOJK.
He mentioned India’s illegal and unilateral actions including year-long inhuman military siege, communication blackout, and egregious violations of human rights.
He said that the aggravating situation in IIOJK had been discussed in various parliaments around the world.
Highlighting the IPU as a key institution, Qureshi urged the IPU to take steps to alleviate sufferings of the Kashmiri people and to promote the realisation of their inalienable right to self-determination.
The two sides also discussed the growing wave of Islamophobia, xenophobia and hate speech and the implications of these phenomena for international peace and security.
As part of the schedule, Barron also had a meeting with Sanjrani at the Parliament House. Senator Afridi was also present on the occasion.
Sanjrani said: “Parliaments and lawmakers have a crucial role in the promotion of peace, democracy and development and in this regard the IPU has made a significant contribution through increased institutional linkages and cooperation.”
The chairman added that the organisation has grown into a global entity helping parliaments to become more effective by sharing best practices and identifying avenues for action.
He expressed his satisfaction with the collaboration between the IPU and Pakistan’s Parliament.
Both the institutions have historically cherished the ideas of democracy, peace and development, he said, underlining the need for institutional linkages between the Senate and the IPU Secretariat.
He said that Pakistan desired strong linkages with the organisation as parliamentary diplomacy played a significant role in strengthening relations between nations and people.
Pakistan was keen to strengthening bilateral and multilateral ties through dialogue and mutual respect, he added.
“In line with the IPU objective of peacebuilding and protection of human rights, Pakistan has always highlighted the Kashmir cause and the atrocities of the Indian government in the occupied valley from time to time on every international fora including the IPU,” Sanjrani said.
He also said that despite the coronavirus outbreak the Senate reached out to all parliaments of the world for greater collaboration amongst the nations to learn from their experiences in containing the pandemic.
The chairman said: “The pandemic is an unprecedented global challenge that has affected everyone especially the poor and the marginalised.”
The IPU president, earlier upon reaching parliament was welcomed by the Senate chairman.
She expressed her gratitude for a warm reception. “Pakistan is an active and vocal member of the IPU,” she said,
“The IPU places its relations with Pakistan’s Parliament at high esteem and values relations between two institutions.”
Barron further said that there was a huge scope for mutual collaboration at the bilateral and multilateral levels to promote democratic values, peace and development.
Later, the IPU president also interacted with a parliamentary delegation, which was comprised of senators Raza Rabbani, Sherry Rehman, MNAs Sher Ali Arbab, Shazia Marri and Ihsanul Haq Tiwana.
Parliamentarians highlighted the human rights violations in IIOJK and the plight of Kashmiri people under Indian occupation and curfew.
They also called for adopting a uniform response for sustainable development and coping with the challenges posed by the pandemic.
The IPU president said that prevailing challenges do not need any permission to cross the borders and collective response of the democracies across the world was the appropriate option to face the current challenges.
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