HAVANA/ISLAMABAD: Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani on Tuesday said Cuban leader Fidel Castro was a ray of hope for the poor and downtrodden people. He expressed these views during a meeting with President of National Assembly of the People’s Power of Cuba, Deputy Esteban Lazo Hernandez in Havana. The chairman is on an official visit to Cuba. He is heading a parliamentary delegation comprising of Senators Mushahid Hussain Syed, Dr Jehanzeb Jamaldini, Shahi Syed, Salahuddin Tirimzi, Gianchand, Mohsin Aziz, Nisar Khan and Senate Secretary Amjad Pervez Malik. “The forces of Western imperialism have always de-stabilised those world leaders who stood for national interest, welfare of their people and resisted against the hegemony of the super powers. As the economies of the super powers thrive on war industry therefore, we cannot look at them to bring peace for us.” The chairman said that it was great pleasure to be in Cuba, especially in the beautiful city of Havana. He said that he was looking forward for this visit which could not take place last year. He was eager and hopeful to meet Commander-in-Chief Dr Fidel Castro. He said that Western imperialism jeopardised the peace and stability of many countries for promotion of its hegemonic agenda and created war like situation in different parts of the world for exploiting the resources. Raza Rabbani said elected governments were overthrown who resisted the hegemonic designs of the West and preferred national interest and welfare of their people. He eulogised the services of great revolutionary leader late Fidel Castro for upholding the national interests and welfare of the people. He said that three leading lessons of Castro’s principles include resilience against super powers, safeguard national interest and welfare of masses would be the model of change for the world. The chairman said that Pakistani nation felt pain of Cuban people who not only lost a great leader but also a father, friend and comrade who changed their lives. He said that the Cuban leader was a ray of hope for poor who gave a direction to suppressed, down trodden and exploited people to live their life with dignity and fight for their rights rather than giving up before their unjust supremacy. He said that great revolutionary leader Fidel Castro, who was the last one among the leaders who change the world with the principles and ideology. He was against the United States imperialism as he represented his own people and did not become the part and parcel of the forces of imperialism. He said that the all the great leaders including Jamal Abdul Nasir and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto have a thread running common among them that they were destabilized by the US imperialism.