ISLAMABAD: National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq has said that terrorism, extremism, poverty, illiteracy and unemployment are the global challenges and these can be overcome through exchange of knowledge, expertise and experiences. According to a message received from Victoria, Republic of Seychelles, he expressed these views while addressing the inaugural ceremony of the Speakers and Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth Countries (CSPOC). The conference was inaugurated by President of Seychelles Danny Faire. Speakers and presiding officers of 44 Commonwealth Countries attended the conference. National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq had been unanimously elected as the representative from Asia to the 54 Member Commonwealth’s Standing Committee for a two-year term until 2018. His election was conducted at the 23rd Conference of the Speakers and Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth Countries (CSPOC) held in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. While chairing the session on “Parliamentary Diplomacy”, the speaker said that parliament reflects the will of the people and its voice must be heard while deciding about matters relating to a country’s security and international image. He said that speakers were the elected voices of the real representatives of the people and hence had a crucial role to play, not only in the conventional proceedings of their respective chambers but also in issues affecting their respective countries. He noted that over the years, parliaments’ role all over the globe had diversified, as more and more members of parliaments were tipped as international negotiators and peace-brokers. While focusing on the mediatory and neutral nature of a Speaker’s role, Speaker Ayaz Sadiq termed “mediation” a natural skill of any presiding officer. This skill, he said, enables presiding officers to engage with their contemporaries to create goodwill and open parallel channels of communication. This provided a useful avenue for promoting goodwill and soft image of a country. He also informed the speakers about his initiatives of forming 88 Friendship Groups in the National Assembly of Pakistan, which were instrumental in promoting bilateral relations of Pakistan with friendly countries. He also touched upon the significance of multilateral forums, which enabled speakers and parliamentarians to exchange best practices, share views and understand each-others positions in an improved manner. Sardar Ayaz Sadiq also shared the experiences of his parliamentary diplomacy with counterparts of the Commonwealth Countries while inviting the speakers and parliamentary delegations from China, Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Russian Federation, Germany, Sweden, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, United Kingdom,Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, Tajikistan, Saudi Arabia, Belarus and Republic of Korea in Pakistan. During the conference, he will also meet speakers and presiding officers of Commonwealth countries on the sidelines of the meetings and discuss matters to enhance bilateral relations between their respective Parliaments. The aim of such a conference, which is held every two years, is to maintain, foster and encourage impartiality and fairness on the part of the speakers and presiding officers, promote knowledge and understanding of parliamentary democracy in its various forms as well as develop parliamentary institutions. Published in Daily Times, January 10th 2018.