Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq has called upon the developed countries of the Commonwealth to share parliamentary experience with the developing democracies of the Association, in order to help them face common challenges and resolve regional disputes. He was addressing the Standing Committee Meeting of the Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth Countries (CSPOC), which held their meeting in London on Friday.

The meeting, which was attended by the Speakers of the UK, Canada, New Zealand, India, Malaysia, Rwanda, Lesotho, Seychelles and the Deputy Speakers of Singapore and Nigeria finalised the agenda for its next General Conference, scheduled to be held in Seychelles in 2018. Pakistan’s delegation took active part in the proceedings and all topics for discussion for the future conference, as proposed by Speaker Ayaz Sadiq were unanimously accepted by the Standing Committee, according to the spokesman of the national assembly.

SardarAyaz Sadiq briefed the meeting about his initiatives of promoting parliamentary diplomacy by organising 88 Friendship Groups with sister Parliaments in the National Assembly of Pakistan. He termed it important to seek solutions to regional and international problems and hence proposed that the conference should discuss the Speaker’s role in promoting parliamentary diplomacy for international and regional cooperation. The topic was approved for the next Conference.

In another move, Ayaz Sadiq proposed discussing the Speaker’s role in ensuring parliamentary oversight over the executive. He elaborated the suggested topic by giving examples from his own experience of encouraging Calling Attention Notices, ensuring the presence of senior government officials during Question Hour and other measures. The meeting appreciated Speaker Ayaz Sadiq’s initiatives and agreed to incorporate the issue of parliamentary oversight in the forthcoming Conference’s topics. On the sidelines of the meeting, the speaker held important meetings with the participating Speakers.