ISLAMABAD: Senate Chairman Mian Raza Rabbani along with a delegation of Pakistan Senate held high-level meetings with the monarch of Jordan, King Abdullah II and the Jordanian Prime Minister Dr Hani Almulki and exchanged views on matter of mutual interests. He said that political uncertainty, internal conflicts and external interventions in Middle East and South Asia had underpinned the significance for enhanced regional cooperation and to work jointly to give peace a chance to flourish, and achieve socioeconomic prosperity of the region. Raza Rabbani was leading a delegation comprising of Senators Sardar Azam Khan Musakhel, Muhammad Javed Abbasi and Brig (r) John Kenneth Williams. The delegation was received by the Jordanian Senate President Faisal Akef Al Fayez. Raza Rabbani expressed his gratitude to king of Jordan over the cordial hospitality extended to the delegation during the visit. He appreciated his capable leadership for leading Jordan as a bastion of peace in the middle of a tumultuous region. He expressed satisfaction over the growing cooperation between the senates of the two countries and the signing of an agreement between the two in early 2017. He expressed solidarity with the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan for its support to the Palestinian cause and apprised the king on the Indian atrocities in Indian-held Kashmir and the working boundary. He said that pallet guns were used on civilians due to which many, including children and women, had lost their sight. He said that Kashmir and Palestine were the oldest issues on the agenda of the UN. Raza Rabbani also met with the Jordanian Prime Minister Dr Hani Al Mulki along with the delegation. Rabbani expressed his gratitude to the prime minister over the welcome extended to the delegation and expressed satisfaction over the ever growing relations between the two countries. He commended the efforts made by Jordan to ensure stability, peace and security in the Middle East for the Muslim Ummah. He emphasised the need to hold Pakistan-Jordan strategic dialogue in the near future and reiterated the invitation for the king to visit Pakistan. Published in Daily Times, December 7th 2017.