Fehmida Mirza said that SAARC Parliamentarians should endeavour to preserve the freedom for which founding the leaders of South Asia, the Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Dr. Ambhedkar and A.K. Fazalul Haq had worked hard. "Standing in the shadows of these great leaders, I find reason to compliment the entire SAARC fraternity," she said. The Speaker said it was remarkable that for the first time in thousand years of "our collective history that all 8 nations have functioning democratic systems".
She said the revival of the Association at present is vital for strengthening democratic parliamentary traditions in South Asia. She said that this goal was also envisioned by "our leaders when they met for the SAARC Silver Jubilee in Thimphu last year". The Speaker said that the Governments have committed themselves to creating a Conclave of SAARC Parliamentarians and they have recognised the need to follow democratic traditions, collectively represented by the Parliamentarians of South Asia.
She said that the Parliaments of SAARC should actively pursue the agenda of the people as top priority of the executive. The Speaker said that the National Assembly of Pakistan recently passed a unanimous resolution to establish a Parliamentary Committee for monitoring and accelerating the current slow pace in achieving the MDGs. "Similar actions by other sister Parliaments of South Asia would enable the region find solutions to end the collective miseries of our peoples", she added.
The Speaker suggested that a combined SAARC Parliamentary Committee, assigned to monitor the progress on 22 SDGs can provide a viable mechanism for sharing experiences, follow best practices and establish institutional linkages.
She said that South Asia, being truly pluralistic, is not merely a landmass of 8 countries, it's a living body of 1.7 billion people, and it is a melting pot of countless cultures, faith, creeds and ideas. And diversity of the region can immensely benefit its peoples if the parliamentarians could converge this unique divergence.
Dr. Fehmida Mirza also congratulated Meira Kumar, the first woman Speaker of the Lok Sabha, and the Parliament of India on hosting this important conference and reviving a dormant platform after a long period of 6 years. Dr. Fehmida Mirza also greeted the brotherly Parliament of Afghanistan, the Wolesi Jirga, into the fold SAARC. It is pertinent to mention here that Dr. Fehmida Mirza is the first Pakistani leader to deliver a speech in the historic Central Hall of Indian Parliament Building.
Earlier, Ms. Meira Kumar, Speaker Lok Sabah, in her welcome address said that Pakistan was the second largest country in SAARC and a major driving force in the regional cooperation.
She stressed that enhanced interaction and exchange in the region will strengthen "our efforts to confront similar socio-economic issues".
Copyright APP (Associated Press of Pakistan), 2011