Pakistan wants peaceful ties with India: Naek
18 January, 2012
ISLAMABAD: Senate Chairman Farooq H Naek on Tuesday said that Pakistan was desirous of peaceful relations with all its neighbours, including India, and had been making consistent efforts in this regard. He expressed these views while welcoming the Indian parliamentary delegation visiting Pakistan to attend the 3rd Pakistan-India Parliamentarians Dialogue. Naek said, "I am a firm believer in the centrality of dialogue and healthy exchange of ideas as a key to resolving all issues, no matter how complex or vexing." He reiterated that Pakistan and India would herald a new dawn of improvement in bilateral relations and go a long way towards strengthening ties and bringing people of the two countries together. The Senate chairman conveyed sentiments of affection and goodwill to the people of India, and appreciated the delegation visiting Pakistan for its gesture of friendship. Naek, in his welcoming remarks for the Indian delegation, said, "It is indeed a great honour and pleasure for me to welcome our Indian friends and distinguished colleagues from the parliamentary fraternity at the Senate of Pakistan. Your visit is a commendable gesture of goodwill, and certainly a very good omen in relations between our two countries. Such noble initiatives are indeed a harbinger of hope and peace – not only for the peoples of our two countries but the whole region. Capturing the spirit of this momentous occasion, I am privileged to extend, on behalf of the Senate of Pakistan and the whole Pakistani nation, heartiest greetings, best wishes and warmest sentiments to our distinguished guests." Earlier, the Indian delegates met Senate Deputy Chairman Jan Muhammad Khan Jamali at Parliament House. Jamali noted that people to people contacts of parliamentary, business and cultural delegations could help in bringing people of the two countries together. He briefed the Indian parliamentarians belonging to Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha about the composition, function and legislative role of Senate. He also stressed the need for direct elections for Senate seats to strengthen the Upper House and make its role more effective. While responding to various queries made by members of the Indian delegation regarding minority seats in Senate, the deputy chairman said the Senate would be having four additional seats for minorities. Meanwhile, Pakistani and Indian parliamentarians on Tuesday agreed that they had a cardinal role to play in influencing governments of the two countries to take a joint leap forward to normalise relations. On the first day of two-day Pakistan-India Parliamentarians Dialogue-III, the MPs also called for improving trade and economic relations between the two neighbours. Senator SM Zafar from Pakistan and Yashwant Sinha from India co-chaired the dialogue. They were joined by Senator Jan Muhammad Jamali, National Assembly Deputy Chairman Faisal Karim Kundi, Qamar Zaman Kaira and Senator Salim Saifullah Khan. The Indian delegation consisted of MPs from major political parties. Rajya Sabha leaders included Mani Shankar Aiyar (Indian National Congress), Nand Kishore Singh (Janata Dal, Bihar), P Rajeeve (Communist Party of India-Marxist) and Rajniti Prasad (Rashtriya Janta Dal, Bihar). Lok Sabha members included Yashwant Sinha, Hazaribagh, Asaduddin Owaisi, Baijayant Jay Panda, Deepender Hooda, Hamdullah Sayeed, Syed Shahnawaz Hussain, Shatrughan Sinha, Supriya Sadanand Sule Bhartruhari Mahtab. Pakistani MPs who joined the dialogue included Senators Ishaq Dar Saeeda Iqbal and Tariq Azeem Khan, MNA Humayun Saifullah Khan, Lt Gen (r) Abdul Qadir Baloch, Ayaz Amir, Dr Farooq Sattar, Fouzia Ejaz Khan, Imrana Saeed Jamil, Khurram Dastgir Khan, Khushbakht Shujaat, Kishan Chand Parwani, Lal Chand, Mian Abdul Sattar, Nawabzada Malik Amad Khan, Naseer Ahmed Bhutta, Dr Nahid Shahid Ali, Begum Nuzhat Sadiq, Riaz Fatyana, Sajid Ahmad, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Shahnaz Wazir Ali, Abdul Rasheed Godil, Shireen Arshad Khan, Tasneem Sidiqui, Parveen Masood Bhatti, and Shahnaz Saleem. The Pakistan-India Parliamentarians Dialogue-III will conclude today (Wednesday). End.
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