Inter-parliamentary forums crucial to peace: Sanjrani

Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani on Friday said the inter-parliamentary forums, particularly the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), hold immense potential to bring peace, harmony and sustainable progress in the world.

“Pakistan will continue to play an active role in achieving the commonly cherished goals with the IPU,” he said while addressing a reception hosted in honour of IPU President Gabriela Cuevas Barron in the federal capital.

“You [Barron] are here as our esteemed guest not just as the President of IPU but also as member of the Upper House of Mexican Parliament and therefore, this visit carries both multilateral and bilateral significance,” Sanjrani added.

The Senate chairman expressed hope that valuable interaction between the two sides would help enhance the Pakistan-IPU connectivity and also contribute towards strengthening Pakistan-Mexico friendly relations.

He was of the view that the IPU has progressed under the leadership of Barron and acknowledge her contribution towards peace, human rights and development. “The IPU emerged as vibrant platform for inter-parliamentary engagement and it is the unity in diversity that binds us together,” he added. Sanjrani expressed his well wishes to the IPU president and hoped that both Pakistan and IPU would continue to work together for the promotion of democracy, harmony, peace and all-inclusive development.

Addressing the participants, Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed announced that in the forthcoming elections for the presidency of IPU, Pakistan’s Parliament and all political parties have decided unanimously to nominate Chairman Sanjrani to be the candidate for the IPU presidency.

He also sought support of the member countries, saying that counterparts in other parliaments would be contacted in the near future.