Islamabad July 28, 2015: Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq has said that continuation of democratic process in the country was the solution to all problems. He said all the political forces in the parliament were united to curb the menace of terrorism and extremism from the country. He said this in a meeting with a 5–member cross party Parliamentary delegation from United Kingdom led by Mr. Rehman Chishti, Member of House of Commons in Parliament House, this afternoon. The delegation comprised MPs Ms. Tasmina A. Sheikh, Ms. Hannah Bardell, Ms. Catherine West and Ms. Yasmin Kureshi.

During the meeting, strengthening of bilateral parliamentary relations, working of Parliament, its committee system and initiatives taken by the Speaker for restructuring of the National Assembly Secretariat came under discussion. The Speaker said that all the political forces strongly desire to strengthen democracy in the country. He said that issues of national importance were threadbare debated upon in parliament which served guidelines for the government to formulate its future policies.

The Speaker said that parliamentary diplomacy could play an important role in bringing nations more closer. He said that a cross-party Pakistan-UK Parliamentary friendship group in the National Assembly has been constituted under the convenership of former Speaker. He opined that frequent interaction between Pak-UK Parliamentarians will provide them opportunity to exchange views and share best parliamentary practices. He asked the Parliamentarians of Pakistan origin to help portray the true image pf democratic and peaceful Pakistan in the west.

The Speaker also informed the guest Parliamentarians about his initiatives for restructuring of the National Assembly, capacity building of its Members and staff. He informed them that work on the project of electrifying the Parliament Building through Solar energy was in progress and hopefully it would be completed by the end of this September. He appreciated assistance extended by British Council for conducting Young Parliamentary Internship program.

MP Mr. Rehman Chishti said that UK also attaches immense importance to its relations with Pakistan and desires to see a stable and prosperous Pakistan. He praised the resilience of Pakistani Nation while dealing with menace of terrorism and extremism. He said that Britain appreciates and supports democratic governance in Pakistan. The other Parliamentarians also individually appreciated the statesmanship of Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq in managing the political crisis and protecting the interest of Parliament. They supported the idea of exchange of parliamentary delegations for sharing views and experiences. They said that their instant visit had provided them a chance to see the real Pakistan.