Chairman Senate Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani while presiding over an important session of the 68th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in Barbados brushed aside the impression of avoiding shaking hands with Indian parliamentary delegation. ” I shook hands with Indian delegation and I am ready to shake hand right even right now,” said Mr. Gilani while responding to a participant of the conference. The hall erupted in applause appreciating Chairman Senate’s remarks.
The workshop titled “The Role of Commonwealth in good governance, multilateralism and international relations” was an exclusive session which was presided over by the Chairman Senate.
In today’s interconnected world, our collective commitment to these principles define how we respond to challenges be it democratic backsliding, climate change, the rise of artificial intelligence or safeguarding democratic institutions, he added.
The session started with insightful presentations from different speakers and interactive discussions followed by question and answers.
Mr Gilani thanked the leaders, rapporteurs and all the participants for meaningful contributions. He highlighted three important takeaways of the session and said that strength abroad required strong governance at home. The Commonwealth shared values enshrined in the Commonwealth charter and Latimer House Principles remain our greatest asset in navigating global challenges. Parliamentarians are the voices of the vulnerable and the guardians of accountability.
He called upon all the participants to carry forward the discussions through the CPA networks including the Commonwealth women parliamentarians, the small branches network and new initiative such as the Commonwealth AI consortium which provide a vital platform for cooperation and peer learning.
Responding to another question from a participant about minorities role in Pakistan, the Chairman Senate recalled his tenure as prime minister of Pakistan and said that separate ministry was setup for Minority Affairs and Interfaith Harmony and a number of initiatives were taken for their welfare. He thanked the participants for their valuable input and discussion.