Ijaz Kakakhel
Under the leadership of Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed, Chairman of the Senate Defence Committee and Pakistan-China Institute, a multi-party delegation of seven parliamentarians which went on a journey to China, the first parliamentary delegation after the COVID crisis, held a media briefing on Wednesday at the Parliament House. The significance of this visit, coinciding with 10 years of CPEC, underscores the commitment of both Pakistan and China to further strengthen the bonds of friendship and cooperation at the people-to-people level, which is the core and foundation of the Pakistan-China strategic ‘all weather’ partnership as ‘Iron Brothers’. Briefing the media, Senator Mushahid Hussain said the Delegation, “representing 6 political parties from all four provinces, visited China with a three-pronged purpose: to reaffirm Pakistan Parliament and political parties commitment to promoting Pakistan-China friendship as the pillar of Pakistan’s foreign policy, irrespective of any changes in Pakistan or the region; to learn from the Chinese experience of development and modernisation with a view to imbibing lessons that can take CPEC forward in the second phase; to exchange views with Chinese friends on the rapidly changing situation in our neighbourhood so that Pakistan and China can tackle common challenges collectively”.
The parliamentarians included Dr Mahesh Kumar Mallani, MNA (PPP) and Minister of State for National Health Services, Regulations, and Coordination; Mohsin Dawar, MNA, President, National Democratic Movement (NDM), Chairman of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs; Muhammad Abubakar, MNA, (MQM) Chairman of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Parliamentary Affairs; Ghous Bux Khan Maher, MNA, Leader of (GDA), Dr Nisar Ahmad Cheema, MNA (PML-N), and Senator Sana Jamali, BAP, Convenor, Parliamentary Education Caucus. During their stay in China, the delegation took part in a series of high-level meetings with Senior Officials of China’s Foreign Ministry, the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China’s Central Committee, plus leading media outlets and top think tanks for first-hand understanding of the developments and phenomenal progress made in poverty alleviation, technology, education and industry. discussions will delve into vital matters of mutual interest, charting a course for deeper collaboration in several areas. In the interaction with Chinese friends, Senator Mushahid Hussain underlined 3 key points, he thanked China for extending timely diplomatic, military and financial support of $ 5.7 billion loans rollover, which helped save Pakistan from default, including support on Kashmir at G-20 and helping Pakistan get out of FATF listing, assured China that ALL political parties of Pakistan,
