Pakistan attaches importance to its relations with Britain: Speaker

ISLAMABAD : Speaker National Assembly, Dr. Fehmida Mirza Monday said Pakistan attaches great importance to its relations with Britain and both the countries have commonalities of views and perceptions on regional and global issues. She was talking to an eight-member delegation from British House of Commons, headed by Rt.Hon. James Arbuthnot (MP), who called on her in the Parliament House.
The Speaker said that Pakistan wanted peace and stability in the region as development and prosperity of the countries in the region depended on stability here.
She said Pakistan wants good relations with its neighbours through more communication and enhanced exchange of Parliamentary delegations and talks. She said Pakistan was committed to fight terrorism and extremism.
Extremism and terrorism can be curbed by eliminating the root causes of these evils, she said and added that generating economic activities and construction of opportunities zones in the FATA will bring dawn and eliminate extremism in the area.
The Speaker told the delegation that such opportunities would also help in uplift of women welfare by providing them educational and job opportunities.
Dr.Fehmida Mirza said the new democratic government and Parliament was facing variety of challenges that would be overcome with the help of the masses and support of friendly countries.
She said the people were pinning great hope on the newly elected Parliament and hoped that the new Parliament would come upto their expectations.
She said that Parliament and Government needed to be given chance to fulfil its tenure so that it could accomplish and fulfil the aspirations of the masses.
The Speaker thanked the delegation for British government’s support to democracy and the new democratic set up in Pakistan and also for its support in Pakistan’s re-entry into the Commonwealth.
The head of the British Parliamentary delegation said Pakistan was an important country and was playing a vital role in the war against terrorism and extremism.
He said Pakistan was also a stabilizing factor in the region for the region’s progress and prosperity. He said that Pakistani community in the UK was playing important role in Britain’s prosperity and economic development. He appreciated them as the law abiding and hard working citizens. He also invited the Speaker to visit UK which she accepted.