ISLAMABAD: President of Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Gabriela Cuevas Barron, who is on an official visit to Pakistan, called on Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday, said a press release issued on Monday. During the meeting, the prime minister and the IPU president exchanged views on a wide range of issues related to inter-parliamentary cooperation, Covid-19 pandemic and regional peace and security.

Prime Minister Imran Khan appreciated Gabriela Barron's contribution as IPU president to advance the role of parliaments and parliamentarians and highlighted the role of IPU in facilitating parliamentary diplomacy.

The prime minister highlighted the unprecedented global health and economic challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic. The prime minister noted that the government's emphasis had been on saving lives, securing livelihoods, and stimulating the economy.

The "smart lockdown" policy and other measures taken by the government had led to a significant improvement in the pandemic situation in Pakistan, the prime minister underlined.

The prime minister, in his interaction with the IPU president, highlighted the growing wave of 'Hindutva' under the RSS-BJP dispensation, which had emerged as a serious threat not only for minorities in India but also for regional peace and security.

As conflict resolution is one of IPU's key strategic priorities, the prime minister, while emphasizing the important role of the international community in resolving the ongoing conflicts in different parts of the world, underscored the importance of just resolution of Jammu and Kashmir dispute for durable peace and stability in South Asia.-PR

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020