ISLAMABAD: Chairman Senate Syed Nayyer Hussain Bukhari Sunday said the democratic government as well as Parliament of Pakistan, established in 2008 after a long authoritarian rule, strongly believes in the power vested in the people.
Addressing the 126th Inter-Parliamentary Union's Assembly in Uganda, he said all the political parties represented in the Parliament are committed to continue with the democratic dispensation and not let create any gap between the peoples and the parliament.
"Our great leader Shaheed Mohtarama Benazir Bhutto was a bridge with the people and for the people", he said, adding the President and the Prime Minister were committed to work relentlessly for the welfare of the people.
He observed that topic of the 126th Assembly "Parliament and People: Bridging the Gap" is very apt and reflective of IPU's core functions as well as that of representative parliamentary democracy.
Chairman Senate, who is leading Pakistan's delegation to Uganda, said the parliamentarians being representatives of the people, cannot afford to function in a vacuum.
"We can serve as catalysts for change directly through the peoples' input in the policy making process, and indirectly by shaping public opinion and setting the agenda for public debate."
Bukhari said the mechanism of inter-parliamentary cooperation gives us an opportunity to perform both these tasks effectively, by allowing us to look beyond geographical and intellectual borders to find new solutions to old problems.
Chairman Senate said that it is first time in the history of Pakistan that the constitutionally elected President has addressed the Parliament five times consecutively as part of his Constitutional obligation.
Bukhari said in near future, the democratic Government will be presenting its 5th annual budget and that the parliament has done legislation in order to address the gender balance in the government policies, bring women in the mainstream and criminalize gender violence discrimination.
The Public Accounts Committee of the National Assembly, which is an instrument of parliamentary oversight on the government spending, has been headed by the Leader of the Opposition. This has never happened in the past.
Regarding terrorism, the Chairman Senate observed that Pakistan, as the foremost victim of terrorism, has suffered a lot. The Government is, however, committed to fight this menace through its 3 Ds policy in order to uplift the people and make Pakistan a moderate developing country.
The Chairman Senate informed the participants that the parliament in Pakistan is also making hectic efforts to enhance connectivity with the people.
He informed the participants about the question hour, Rules of the Senate and National Assembly allow public access to Committee meetings and the committee system in the parliament of Pakistan.
Nayyer Bukhari said Pakistan's Parliament has constantly endeavoured to set high standards of public discourse by becoming open and responsive to the hopes and aspirations of people at large', the Chairman Senate observed.
He said that the conference would prove highly conducive to bridge the gap between parliament and the people. Inter-parliamentary forums such as IPU provide an important and valuable mechanism to forge international cooperation among governments as well as parliaments.
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