ISLAMABAD - The Senate is hosting an important three-day event of the committee meetings of Asian Parliamentary Assembly in Gwadar.

The event will start from Monday (October 29) and end on October 31. The committee meetings will host parliamentary delegates from 26 Asian countries including Secretary General Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and will deliberate on matters of mutual interest to Asian region in terms of political affairs, economic trade and other regional issues in addition to passing historic declarations and resolutions. The APA meetings at Gwadar aim to bring Parliamentary leadership together in promoting peace and development.

A statement issued by the Senate secretariat says that preparations for holding meeting of APA’s Political Affairs Committee and Special Committee on Creation of Asian Parliament are in full swing in Gwadar and coordinated efforts are being made to make the event a success.

The first in the history of Gwadar, with both nature and size, preparations have entered into final phase. Chairman Senate Muhammad Sadiq Sanjrani has also reached the port city to review the arrangements. Soon after reaching the city on Saturday afternoon, chairman Senate presided over a high-level meeting in which the Director Generals of the Gwadar Development Authority (GDA) and Gwadar Port Authirity (GPA) gave a detailed briefing on the steps taken to make this conference a success. He also issued instructions to the concerned authorities in connection with this important international conference. Secretary Senate Amjed Pervez Malik also briefed the chairman Senate about the administrative steps taken by the Senate Secretariat in connection with the high level international meetings.

Delegates from different countries have also started pouring in to participate in the conference. Senator Kauda Babar and Secretary Senate Amjed Pervez Malik received and welcomed   Deputy Secretary General Dr Khurram Ali from APA Headquarters  and a delegation of Cambodia to participate in the event.

With a view to showcase Gwadar, the city administration has taken extraordinary steps to beautify the roads and venue of the meeting decorated with banners and flags.  The city administration and the provincial government of Balochistan are busy day and night to make it a success. The conference would help project Gwadar in a different manner and the city would soon become an attractive hub for trade and economic activities.

The inaugural ceremony will be held on October 29 and will be followed by meeting of Special Committee on Creation of Asian Parliament on the same day and meeting of Standing Committee on Political Affairs will be held on 30 October. The meetings will lead to discussion on resolutions which will consequently be brought before the assembly.

The resolutions to be adopted by the APA Standing Committee on Political Affairs relate to rule of law and judicial empowerment in the Asian region, building prosperity in Asia through friendship and cooperation, bringing Asian parliaments and governments together for prosperity in Asia, and promoting good parliamentary practices. Senate of Pakistan will put before the assembly the proposal of ‘development through democracy’ suggesting this system of governance as the most important tool for peace, prosperity and development.

Asian Parliamentary Assembly traces its history back to the establishment of the Association of Asian Parliaments for Peace (AAPP) in September 1999 in Dhaka, Bangladesh, when a group of Asian parliamentarians decided to join forces towards promoting peace and human rights in Asia. In the year 2006 the Association of Asian Parliaments for Peace (AAPP) was converted into Asian Parliamentary Assembly (APA) in Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran.

Senate of Pakistan has played a vibrant and active role in making Asian Parliamentary Assembly an active and useful tool for bringing parliaments of Asian countries together under one roof and discuss options to make the region more inclusive in terms of growth, development and prosperity.