President Dr Arif Alvi on Thursday underscored the need for increasing parliamentary cooperation among the member countries of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) to promote peace, democracy and sustainable development around the world. He reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to the IPU’s mission to work for peace, democracy, human rights, youth empowerment and sustainable development through political dialogue and parliamentary action. The president made these remarks while talking to the President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union Duarte Pacheco, at the Aiwan-e-Sadr. President Alvi said parliamentarians could play a significant role in promoting international peace and conflict resolution. He emphasized that the world collectively needed to take steps to stop wars and bring peace. He urged that parliamentarians of the world should work for global peace and prosperity. The president briefed the visiting dignitary about the contribution made by Pakistan in the war against terror. He said Pakistan had lost thousands of civilians and security forces’ personnel, besides suffering economic losses of over $100 billion while fighting a long battle against terrorist elements. He highlighted that Pakistan had successfully defeated the terrorists and achieved major successes in that regard. The president stated that Pakistan had hosted millions of Afghan refugees for over four decades which spoke volumes about the humanitarian spirit of the country. He expressed the hope that the visit of Duarte Pacheco would help further strengthen parliamentary relations between the Parliament of Pakistan and IPU’s member parliaments. Duarte Pacheco informed President Alvi that the IPU was an important platform, as it shared its experiences and knowledge with other member countries. He expressed his heartfelt condolences over the recent terrorist attack on a mosque in Peshawar and condemned the barbaric attack.