Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq on Thursday said the Muslim World was passing through a turbulent phase in the history while facing economic stagnation, internal divisions and violent conflicts. This is the right time for closer and consistent Parliamentary engagement to restrain the descent into chaos of the Muslim world. He termed Pak-Iran Parliamentary engagement as 'highly imperative' for cohesion of the entire region.
He was speaking to a delegation headed by Allauddin Boroujerdi, Chairman of Iran's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of Islamic Consultative Assembly, who called him at Parliament House, Islamabad. Ambassador of Iran in Pakistan, Mehdi Honardoost was also present at the meeting.
The Speaker said Iran and Pakistan were bonded in the eternal ties of religion, culture and history and there was commonality of views and perceptions of both the countries on all regional and global issues. He also expressed the need for increase of contacts between the Parliamentarians and political leadership of the two countries as well as people to people contact.
Speaking to the Iranian Parliamentary delegation, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq outlined that Pakistan had embarked upon a regional focus in the pursuit of shared prosperity. He added that Iran shined prominently in strategic calculations of Pakistan's Parliamentary diplomacy and recommended frequent exchange of delegations to assign substantive meanings to inter-Parliamentary relations.
The Speaker reiterated Pakistan's commitment to consolidate all encompassing brotherly relations between Iran and Pakistan and urged for enhancing trade and people to people relations.
The Speaker highlighted that Pakistan had always played a leading role to promote unity among the Muslim world and continue to leverage its influence for promoting cohesion, co-operation and collaboration amongst the Muslim countries.
Allauddin Boroujerdi conveyed his firm commitment to collaborate with Pakistan's parliament in quest of more robust and diversified relations between the two countries. He added that Iran consider Pakistan as its partner for peace in the region and expressed his hope that in future both nations will continue to chart the paths of prosperity together.
He reiterated Ayaz Sadiq's proposal for diversification of trade and economic relations and urged for comprehensive engagement of the Parliamentary committees to explore the avenues for mutual co-operation.
Later on, while meeting with a group of Chamber of Commerce and Industry Islamabad headed by Khalid Iqbal Malik, President ICCI, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq said the government was following investor-friendly policies. "Business community is the back bone of the economy of the country and holds a pivotal role for job creation as well as progress and prosperity of the country," he added.