President of the Senate of Jordan, Taher Al Masri called on President Asif Ali Zardari, here on Saturday and discussed matters of mutual interest. The two sides had a frank discussion on the matters of bilateral interest with particular focus on the need for enhanced interaction between the parliaments of two countries through the exchange of parliamentary delegations.
The president, who is in Amman to attend World Economic Forum special meeting on Arab World, apprised the President of Jordanian Senate about the democratic system in Pakistan as well as recent constitutional amendments, which further empowered the national legislature.
Talking about terrorism and extremism, he said that militants were created as a war weapon to defeat a rival ideology by the international-community. It is incumbent upon the international community to support Pakistan in fighting this monster, he added. He said the cost of 9/11 was much more than what it was made out to be and had not been properly quantified.
President Zardari stressed the need of parliamentary exchanges between Pakistan and Jordan to further strengthen the already existing close and historic ties between the two brotherly nations. The President of Jordanian Senate appreciated the sacrifices and efforts of Pakistan in fighting militancy and for peace and stability in the region and beyond.
The Parliament of Jordan is the bicameral Jordanian National Assembly or "Majlis al-Umma". Established by the 1952 Constitution, the legislature consists of two houses - the Assembly of Senators ("Majlis al-Aayan") and the Chamber of Deputies ("Majlis al-Nuwaab").
The assembly of senators has 60 members, all of whom are directly appointed by the King, while the Chamber of Deputies has 120 elected members, with nine seats reserved for Christians, three are for Circassian and Chechen minorities, and 12 for women. The constitution ensures that the senate cannot be more than half the size of the chamber of deputies. The members of both the houses serve for a four-year term. Interior Minister, A. Rahman Malik, Chairman Board of Investment, Saleem Mandviwalla, Pakistan's Ambassador in Jordan, Ms Attiya Mahmood and Spokesperson to President, Farhatullah Babar were also present in the meeting.