Islamabad, August 16, 2016: Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq has said that SAARC future leaders could settle the outstanding issues through dialogue and engagement to move towards peace and prosperity in the region. He was addressing the inaugural ceremony of the 1stSAARC Young Parliamentarians’ Conference 2016 being held in Islamabad from 16-18 August 2016.

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. He said that statesmanship demanded that we confront our issues judiciously and address them honestly with an aim to solve them sincerely. The NA Speaker outlined that shared cultures and histories of the region, and developing economies could provide ample opportunities to work together to address common challenges.

Sardar Ayaz Sadiq highlighted that the goal of holding this conference was 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 neigh bourhood into a beaming reality.

The NA Speaker said that 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 added

He 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.

Sardar Ayaz Sadiq expressed his hope that the diverse themes being discussed and deliberated in the inaugural SAARC Young Parliamentarians’ 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, addressing climate change and of meeting the newly instituted Sustainable Development Goals.