National Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Amir Husain on Wednesday counselled enhanced economic co-operation between Muslim countries. 'It would lead to greater unity in the Islamic Ummah.'
He was talking to the Speaker, Iranian Islamic Consultative Assembly Gholam Ali Haddad Adel, who called on him at the Parliament House on Wednesday afternoon, soon after his arrival with a seven member's parliamentary delegation on goodwill visit to Pakistan.
Chairman Senate Mohammadmian Soomro extended the invitation to the Iranian parliamentary delegation. The NA Speaker hosted lunch in honour of the visiting Iranian high dignitary after the formal talks.
In their conversation, Pakistan and Iranian leaders also dwelt on the need for strengthening the OIC organisation to achieve unity in the Ummah. They said parliaments of Muslim countries must provide stimulus to the idea by promoting greater economic co-operation among Muslim countries and further it with a series of exchanges of parliamentary delegations.
Chaudhry Amir Husain observed greater exchanges of parliamentary delegations between Muslim states would pave the way for larger interaction in education and trade. 'Economic co-operation would lay a foundation whereby the Ummah would realise greater unity of Muslims.
With reference to economic co-operation between on the proposed Pak-Iran gas pipeline the Iranian Speaker said he was looking forward to the completion of this proposed project.' When this project is completed it would become a symbol of economic sovereignty of brother countries of Pakistan and Iran.' Later in the evening Iranian Speaker attended a reception hosted in his honour by the Pakistan Academy of Letters.
In his scholarly discourse before a sizeable of Pakistani intelligentsia and scholar Haddad Adel paid tributes to Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah as well as Allama Muhammad Iqbal describing as architect of Pakistan.
About Iqbal he said he loved Muslim unity and Ummah and 'his thoughts brought light to Iran and Pakistan as well as to the entire Islamic world. In this regard he recalled the later Ayatollah Khomeini, and quoted from Justice Javed Iqbal, Allama Iqbal's son, who once heard Ayatollah Khomeini speak on Iqbal in Iran and declared that 'if all leaders of Muslim world had the same understood of Allama Iqbal as did Imam Khomeini we would have moved much near to the unity of Muslim Ummah.'
As to the affinity between Farsi and Urdu, he said, 'Just as the Arabic language brought Islam came to Iran, Persian language brought Islam to the people of Pakistan Dr Haddad also described Farsi and Urdu as two repositories of the glorious heritage of Islamic learning. He discerned a threat jeopardising Farsi and Urdu. 'Therefore, the people of 'Pakistan must strive to preserve and protect Farsi and Urdu as a national duty. By protecting Urdu they will be protecting their Islamic identity.'
The Iranian Speaker expressed pleasure at visiting Pakistan for the third time. He said his present visit as Speaker and head of a parliamentary delegation was taking place on an auspicious occasion when the people of Pakistan were celebrating the celebrations of the birth anniversary of the holy Prophet (PBUH). Iftikhar Arif, Chairman of Pakistan Academy of Letters paid huge compliment to Gholam Ali Haddad Adel as a man of scholarship and learning of international standing whose contribution to Islamic learning was universally acknowledge in Islamic countries. In this regard Arif especially referred to Dr Adel's study of Allama Iqbal, and said he had increased the understanding of the Persian works of Iqbal by writing a text book for use in Iranian schools.
Iranian Speaker's plane touched down at Chaklala at around 12:30 in the afternoon. He was greeted by Chairman Senate Mohammadmian Soomro as well as Deputy Chairman Jan Muhammad Jamali.
Soon after arrival the Iranian guest called on President Musharraf and stayed with him for some time. In the evening he was guest of honour at the banquet dinner hosted by Chairman Senate Mohammadmian Soomro.
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