Hosting of the Seventh CPA Asia Regional Conference by the Provincial Assembly of Sindh marks a defining moment in Pakistan’s parliamentary history. After a hiatus of fourteen years, the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association returned to Karachi not merely as an event, but as a statement of institutional confidence, administrative maturity, and democratic ambition. From idea to execution, the conference stands out as the most complete, professionally managed, and substantively rich CPA conference ever organised in Pakistan, and the Sindh Government and Sindh Assembly leadership deserve much of the credit for this accomplishment.
This was the first time that a foreign parliamentary conference of this size was held in historic Sindh. This decision carried immense symbolic and practical value. By opening the Assembly to international delegates, the Sindh Government demonstrated transparency, confidence in its democratic institutions, and a willingness to place parliamentary processes at the centre of global engagement. Syed Awais Qadir Shah, the speaker of the Sindh Assembly, correctly called this a historic milestone that reflects both institutional openness and the conviction that Pakistan’s parliamentary venues are developed enough to accommodate international democratic discourse.
The conference’s logistics were outstanding. The Sindh Assembly Secretariat and its members worked tirelessly, frequently day and night, to make this event a success. The execution met worldwide standards in all areas, from managing protocols to ensuring security to helping delegates and making technological accommodations. CPA Secretary-General Stephen Twigg and top parliamentary leaders from Sri Lanka, Maldives, Malaysia, and other member states agreed with the visiting delegations that Sindh’s hospitality was professional, well-coordinated, and friendly.
The conference showed that people really understood the problems that democracies face today. The talks were not formal or vague. Instead, they talked about important and complicated problems that parliaments all over the world are facing, such as the loss of public trust, the spread of false information, the disruptive effects of AI, climate change, including marginalised groups, and the role of legislatures in building peace and resolving conflicts. The seminars had a clear theme that ran through them: trust, inclusivity, innovation, and peace. This gave the conference intellectual depth and policy importance.
The CPA Asia Conference in Karachi showed that Sindh was a great place to host a parliament since it was well-organised, serious about ideas, and politically confident.
One of the most impactful presentations was about the problem of false news and AI-generated material, which is becoming a bigger problem around the world. Sindh Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon gave honest and forward-looking comments during the session. It was good to hear him say that deepfake technology and fake digital content are real challenges to government, political stability, and democratic discourse. His argument for AI-based detection systems made it clear that states need to go beyond reactive surveillance and use proactive technology. The fact that this kind of talk took place at a parliamentary session held by the Sindh Government shows that it is willing to have hard but crucial discussions.
The Karachi Declaration and the Karachi Charter made the conference seem even more serious about its goals. The Charter made promises to uphold the Constitution, hold the executive accountable, oversee Parliament, and make government more open, with a focus on making Public Accounts Committees stronger. It also pushed for a more inclusive democratic vision, asking for more involvement from women, young people, people with disabilities, religious minorities, and other groups that are often left out. As it addressed issues like hate speech, misinformation, digital governance, and artificial intelligence, the Charter reaffirmed the protection of free speech while acknowledging new realities.
The speech by Chief Minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah at the end of the event gave these promises more political weight.effortsHis statement that innovation must encompass excellent governance and competent oversight-not only technology-demonstrated a sophisticated comprehension of democratic reform. His recommendation to regard the Karachi Proclamation as a practical roadmap rather than a symbolic document was crucial in that it established a benchmark against which future performance can and should be looked at.
The efforts of the Sindh Government were sincerely appreciated by the international community. Dr Rizvi Salih, the Deputy Speaker of Sri Lanka, said that the conference was unforgettable and that Sindh had established a high bar for future hosts. Ahmed Nazim, the Deputy Speaker of the Maldives, and Dato’ Seri Mohammad Zahir Bin Abdul Khalid, the Speaker of Malaysia, both lauded the leadership of the Speaker of the Sindh Assembly and the Chief Minister. They also said that the Karachi conference made CPA Asia a more important regional platform. These affirmations make Pakistan look more trustworthy and strengthen Sindh’s reputation as a good place for foreign parliamentary involvement.
Conference organisers contend that the CPA Asia forum is mandated to remain issue-neutral, focusing on strengthening parliamentary institutions and democratic practices rather than addressing bilateral or territorial disputes. They argue that adhering to an agreed agenda ensured full participation by all member delegations and preserved the forum’s effectiveness. At the same time, they stress that Pakistan’s principled position on Kashmir continues to be actively pursued at appropriate international platforms.
The CPA Asia Conference in Karachi is a big milestone achieved by Pakistan, as well as an institutional success for the Sindh Government and the Sindh Assembly. It showed that Sindh was a great place to host a parliament since it was well-organised, serious about ideas, and politically confident. At the same time, it showed that future forums need to combine superb planning with clearer and more inclusive politics on problems that are important to both the US and the world. The goal has been reached; now it’s up to us to excel on it with even more bravery, honesty, and faith in democracy.
The writer is a human rights activist and a blogger.