The chairman, Senate standing committee on foreign affairs, Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed has said the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) should be reactivated to have a strong and independent voice in the world.
Addressing the members of the Algerian Parliamentary delegation headed by Abdelkader Bensalah, currently visiting Pakistan here at a luncheon reception hosted in honour of the delegation at parliament house, he said there is a need to project Islam and the Muslims in true light dispelling all misconceptions about Islam and its followers.
Mushahid said Pakistan and Algeria have identical views on many regional and global issues and underscored the need for closer parliamentary interaction and co-operation in all fields to overcome contemporary challenges.
He said the freedom-loving people all over the world will continue to derive inspiration from the epic and heroic struggle waged by the brave Algerian people to achieve independence. Senator Mushahid said all oppressed people throughout the world got inspiration from the Algerian struggle for independence during the 60s and 70s and this would remain so for all-time to come.
He recalled that during the era of Farhat Abbas, hero of Algerian independence and NLF (National Liberation Front) of Algeria were common names in many parts of the world, including Pakistan. He also recalled the fateful visit of the late Algerian President Boumedinne to Pakistan in 1974 to attend the historic Islamic Summit at Lahore.
Senator Mushahid reminded that the leaders of the Algerian Freedom Movement used to travel across the world on Pakistani passports as the country extended its all out and unqualified support to Algeria.
He said that today Pakistan and Algeria have similar challenges ie terrorism and extremism apart from improving the quality of life of their peoples. Speaking on the occasion, Senator Nisar Memon said Pakistan and Algeria both being Muslim countries had many things in common, including their colonial past and yearning for glory in future.
He said both countries could learn from each others' experiences, and both desired peaceful and negotiated settlement of disputes and wanted to promote peace and harmony in the world
Senator Nisar Memon said that Pakistan is currently engaged in composite dialogue process with India to find peaceful settlement of all outstanding issues, including Jammu and Kashmir. He reminded that the country refused to send its forces to Iraq as it could do so only when they are under the command of the UN and this fact alone speaks volumes of its independent foreign policy and commitment to Muslim causes.
The leader of the Algerian parliamentary delegation and president, Council of the National Senate of Algeria, Abdelkader Bensalah, said that his country highly valued its relations with Pakistan.
He said that Algerians still fondly cherish the memories of Pak support for their freedom struggle and they would never forget those who stood by them in difficult times.
Abdelkader Bensalah hoped that the visit would further strengthen the bilateral relations and culminate on closer parliamentary co-operation. He said that Algeria belongs to the Muslim and the Arab world and it desires early settlement of disputes like Palestine and Kashmir in a just and peaceful manner.
He said his country supports all freedom struggles for realising the right of self-determination, adding Algeria supports political independence and territorial integrity of Iraq.
Members of the Senate Committee urged all the Muslim countries, particularly the Arab states to extend all out support for Kashmir's right to self-determination.
The luncheon reception was attended among others by Senators Wasim Sajjad, Nisar A Memon, Jan Mohammad Jamali, Tahir Hussain Mashhadi, Talha Mehmood, Sardar Mehtab Ahmed Abbasi, Maulana Samiul Haq, and Latif Khosa, Senate Secretary Raja Mohammad Amin and the Algerian ambassador to Pakistan.