ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq Tuesday said that SAARC future leaders could settle the common challenges through dialogue and engagement to ensure peace and prosperity in the region.
He was addressing the inaugural ceremony of the first SAARC Young Parliamentarians’ Conference 2016 being held in Islamabad from August 16 to 18.
Calling it a momentous occasion in the history of democracy of the region, the NA Speaker said that South Asia must not remain a “Prisoner of the Past” but it should radiate fresh ideas and aspirations of our combined future.
The statesmanship demanded that we confront our issues judiciously and address them honestly to get viable solutions, he said.
The NA Speaker was of the view that shared cultures, histories of the region and developing economies could provide ample opportunities to work together to address common challenges.
Sardar Ayaz Sadiq said the conference was arranged with an objective to build bridges between the future leaders of South Asia on a platform that supports continued engagement and cooperation.
He urged the young parliamentarians to grasp the opportunity and with wide-ranging legislative and oversight powers and to turn the dream of a peaceful and prosperous neighbourhood into a beaming reality.
Sardar Ayaz Sadiq said the inaugural SAARC Young Parliamentarians Conference was a milestone to strategize a vision of vibrant, skilled and socially proactive youth citizenship in all member countries.
“Special attention must be paid to encouraging youth participation in politics and civil society, and bringing about gender equality in all dimensions of our societies”, he remarked.
The Speaker urged the delegates to make SAARC Young Parliamentarians Conference into a forum that could streamline youth-related initiatives through legislative, representative and oversight tools within and outside members Parliaments for the mutual goal of youth emancipation.
He hoped that the diverse themes discussed in the inaugural session of this conference would augment the joint efforts of all young parliamentarians from the region to provide sustainable solutions to our common challenges of human security, abject poverty, malnutrition besides achieving the newly instituted Sustainable Development Goals.
Source: APP
