Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Senate Chairman Mian Raza Rabbani has said that parliaments of Muslim countries must come forward and interact to evolve a mechanism for making concrete efforts to resolve the issues being faced by the Muslim world.

He was talking to a parliamentary delegation of Bahrain led by Ali Bin Saleh Al Saleh, chairman of Shura Council, Kingdom of Bahrain, at the Parliament House on Wednesday.

Leader of the House in Senate Raja Muhammad Zafarul Haq, Senate Deputy Chairman Molana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, Pak-Bahrain Friendship Group in Senate of Pakistan Chairman Senator Hafiz Hamdullah and senators Dr Jehanzeb Jamaldini, Azam Swati, Talha Mehmood, Mushahid Hussain Syed and Sitiara Ayaz were also presented during the meeting. The delegation is currently visiting Pakistan on the invitation of Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani.

The delegation laid a wreath on the monument of “Unsung Heroes of Democracy” and paid tribute to the sacrifices of the heroes of the democracy and their unwavering commitment. The delegation also visited the Gali-e-Dastoor, where a detailed briefing was given on the parliamentary and constitutional history of Pakistan. The delegation also visited the refurbished library of the Senate and appreciated the initiatives of the Senate Secretariat under the leadership of the Senate chairman and expressed desire to assist the Parliament of Bahrain in improving the library services. Leader of the delegation also recorded his impressions in the guest book.

Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani said that the region was facing turmoil and there was a dire need to put our heads together and overcome the challenges posing threats to stability and security. He said that this was an era of parliamentary diplomacy as it as the most appropriate and viable option for furthering the ties among the nations and resolving the issues. He said that Pakistan enjoys cordial relations with Bahrain and other Gulf countries and there was a need to further boost these brotherly relations into extended economic ties to benefit from the huge trade potential among these nations.

The chairman thanked the King of Bahrain on behalf of the Pakistani people for establishing a nursing university in Pakistan which would not only help improve healthcare facilities but the students of this institution would serve as ambassadors for enhancing the cooperation between Pakistan and Bahrain.

The Senate chairman said that cooperation among the parliaments of Muslim countries was direly needed keeping in view the fact that the entire Muslim world had been destabilised by the vested interests of different international powers. In this scenario, he said, it was important for the Muslim parliaments to interact and find solution to these problems and emerging challenges. He informed the visiting delegation that Pakistan was facing terrorism but due to resilience of the people and various efforts through security operations and political interventions, the country had been able to overcome the menace to a great extent.

He further said that Pakistan had always been striving to have friendly relations with neighbouring countries but since inception of the Modi government, India was gripped in war hysteria. “It has not only violated the international agreements but is also carrying out severe human rights violations by committing atrocities against the Kashmiri people who are struggling for their rights.”

Published in Daily Times, September 28^th 2017.