By: ANI Correspondent
CAPE TOWN — Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq held separate meetings with Speaker of the Parliament of Uganda Jacob Marksons Oboth and Deputy Speaker of Bangladesh’s House of the Nation Barrister Kayser Kamal on the sidelines of the 69th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in Cape Town, discussing ways to strengthen bilateral and parliamentary relations.
During his meeting with the Ugandan Speaker, Ayaz Sadiq said Pakistan was committed to further strengthening ties with African countries and invited him to lead a parliamentary delegation to Pakistan. He said an 18-member Pak-Uganda Parliamentary Friendship Group was already functioning in the National Assembly, while the Ugandan Speaker confirmed that a similar group had been constituted in Uganda.
The two sides discussed cooperation in higher education, agriculture, food security, defence, climate change and parliamentary innovation. Ayaz Sadiq also reiterated Pakistan’s position that regional disputes should be resolved peacefully and that war was not a solution.
He invited Uganda to participate in the forthcoming CPA Women Parliamentarians Conference to be hosted by the KP Assembly’s CPA Branch in March next year.
In his meeting with Bangladesh’s Deputy Speaker Barrister Kayser Kamal, Ayaz Sadiq expressed Pakistan’s desire for strong and cordial relations with Bangladesh and highlighted opportunities for greater parliamentary cooperation and mutual learning.
The Speaker also briefed the Bangladeshi delegation on Pakistan’s position regarding regional tensions and reiterated its commitment to peaceful resolution of disputes. He appreciated the Makkah Accord and Pakistan’s role in facilitating diplomatic engagement between Iran and the United States.
Bangladeshi parliamentarians called for stronger Pakistan-Bangladesh relations, while Deputy Speaker Kayser Kamal welcomed the resumption of direct flights between Dhaka and Lahore.
Sardar Ayaz Sadiq also invited the Bangladeshi Deputy Speaker to visit Pakistan. The meetings concluded with a shared resolve to promote parliamentary engagement, people-to-people contacts and mutually beneficial cooperation.
