LONDON: Chairman Senate Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani has said that Pakistan attaches great importance to bilateral ties with the United Kingdom (UK) and desires to further expand the relations to new levels for mutual benefit.
A press release issued by the Pakistani High Commission on Monday said the Chairman Senate expressed these views in a meeting with Speaker of the House of Commons Lindsay Hoyle during his visit to the UK. The Chairman Senate, along with a delegation of Senators, is currently on a visit to the UK to explore opportunities for further strengthening bilateral and multilateral cooperation in diverse fields.
Senators Agha Shahzeb Durrani, Faisal Salim Rehman, Ashraf Ali Jatoi and Members of the National Assembly, Syed Abdul Qadir Gilani and Syed Qasim Ali Gilani accompanied the Chairman Senate.
In his opening remarks, the Chairman Senate highlighted the cultural and historical ties that both sides have enjoyed for a long and said that the historical bond between the two has paved the way for strengthening political, diplomatic, economic ties and people-to-people contacts. He further said that these ties were further strengthened by the Pakistani diaspora, which was acting as a bridge between Pakistan and the UK.
He said that our historic legacy, shared values and mutual goodwill were the ingredients for a strong collaboration between Pakistan and the UK. The Chairman Senate also acknowledged the significance of broad-based parliamentary cooperation and said that Pakistan attached great importance to parliamentary diplomacy.
He added that sharing democratic knowledge and learning democratic values was central to Commonwealth, as a family of nations. He said both Pakistan and the UK enjoy excellent cooperation at the Commonwealth level and Pakistan was playing an active role on this important platform. “As the representatives and voices of our people I believe we have a singular responsibility in acting as bridges between our peoples and institutions of governance”, Chairman Senate observed.
During the meeting Enhanced Strategic Dialogue between Pakistan and United Kingdom also came under discussion. The Enhanced Strategic Dialogue is an institutional mechanism guiding Pakistan -UK bilateral ties.
The Chairman Senate also highlighted the issue of Indian Illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir. He said that Pakistan valued the role of British MPs in highlighting human rights abuses in India Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, in the Parliament of the UK.
The Senate Chairman said that Pakistan was making all possible efforts through the relevant forums to bring an end to Gaza atrocities. He also called upon the UK to raise its voice against the human rights violations in Gaza.
During the meeting, the Chairman Senate said that interaction and exchange of views between the parliamentary leadership and the parliamentarians was a major step towards broadening and deepening inter-parliamentary relations.
Speaker of the House Commons in his views lauded Chairman Senate’s remarks and called for a broad-based relationship between the two sides. He said that Pakistan was an important country for the UK and both sides have historically enjoyed cordial ties.
