ISLAMABAD: National Assembly, Speaker, Ayaz Sadiq, remarked on Tuesday, “Pakistan does not want to be a part of an arms race in South Asia but cannot become unaware of the threats to its national security.” He said this while addressing the inaugural session of the two-day Standing Committee Meeting of Asian Parliamentary Assembly (APA) on “Economic and Sustainable Development” here at a local hotel. He added, “We are self-respecting nation whereas Pakistan is obliged to take essential steps to maintain its security,” further asserting, “At the same time, we also cannot, however, remain oblivious to the evolving security dynamics and arms buildup in our region.” Sadiq assured that Pakistan is a responsible nuclear weapon state, and we will continue to support the objectives of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation by maintaining the highest standards of security of nuclear facilities and stocks. He also urged the nuclear supplier groups to stop discriminating between countries. The Speaker said that the security situation around the world remains precarious as terrorism remains a serious threat which has caused the loss of over 60,000 innocent lives in Pakistan over the last two decades. He further said that the government and the people of Pakistan have demonstrated an unflinching resolve to uproot the menace of terrorism and violent extremism from Pakistan. The consensus-based military operation “Zarb-e-Azb” has been remarkably successful in our campaign against terrorism and extremism, the Speaker informed. He added, “Pakistan is facing the challenge of terrorism from the last two decades and has sacrificed 65,000 lives in the war on terror”. “Pakistani government and the nation is committed to rooting out the menaces of terrorism and sectarianism from the country,” he said. Speaker Sadiq was of the view that a peaceful Asia will continue to remain a dream unless peace was established in occupied Kashmir, Palestine and Rohingya. The international community including the APA member states must redress these injustices against these victims of aggression. “Our Parliament stands firm in solidarity with all such oppressed people of the world and demands from the international community to ensue their fundamental rights. The Kashmir dispute must be resolved in light of the UN Security Council resolutions and in accordance with the aspirations of the Kashmiri people”, he added. He said that only a strong democracy and a vibrant economy can help Pakistan fight against the menaces of terrorism and sectarianism. All the Asian countries are faced with the various challenges related to health, education, poverty, economy, energy, water and human rights and, hence, the role of APA remains vital in helping them cope with such challenges, he added. The Speaker also said that one of the key pillars of Pakistan’s policy is to encourage regional integration and connectivity. The most promising element of this policy is the recently launched China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). He informed that CPEC will help end power outages in Pakistan, and ensure seamless connectivity between China, South Asia and Central Asia. He said that Pakistan firmly believes in the promotion of democracy, peace, security and development in the region and its neighbourhood. “I am sure that guided by Asian spirit and sustained efforts, we can resolve the intricacies of integration towards establishing an Asian Parliament to transform our continent into one unified parliament”, he added. Speaker NA also asserted that an exchange of parliamentary delegations must continue on a regular basis to enhance interconnectivity between people of different countries. He also emphasised on the need to facilitate traders in promoting business activity in the Asian region as well as taking different steps to ensure an economic equality. Senate Chairman, Mian Raza Rabbani, also spoke on the occasion and said that the success of this APA meeting would help Asian countries achieve their developmental targets. He also added, “The resolutions of APA reflecting Asian vision will hopefully prove as helpful for poverty eradication from the Asian countries.” Senator Rabbani noted that since the Western economy was on a decline in this era and the Arabian countries were also facing the threat of destabilisation, “Asian countries are in an effort to bring economic stability and peace, which can only be achieved through unity.”