Islamabad, January 17; Initiating Pakistan-India Parliamentarians Dialogue-III here in Islamabad, Pakistani and Indian MPs engaged on the issue of improving Trade and Economic Relations between India and Pakistan during the first day of the Dialogue. MPs from both sides agreed that they had a cardinal role to play in influencing governments in Pakistan and India to take a joint leap forward to normalise relations.

Seasoned MPs from Pakistan and India, Senator S. M. Zafar (Punjab, PML), former Federal Minister for Law, Pakistan and Mr. Yashwant Sinha, former Union Minister for External Affairs and Finance, India (Jharkhand, BJP) co-chaired the Dialogue. They were joined by Senator Jan. Muhammad Jamali, Deputy Chairman Senate of Pakistan, Mr. Faisal Karim Kundi, MNA, Deputy Speaker National Assembly of Pakistan, Mr. Qamar Zaman Kaira, MNA, convener, Pak-India Parliamentary Friendship Group in the National Assembly and Senator Salim Saifullah Khan, Chairman Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, among others.

The Indian delegation comprises MPs representing major political parties of India from both houses of the Indian Parliament. Indian MPs from the Rajya Sabha include Mr. Mani Shankar Aiyar, Indian National Congress (INC); Mr. Nand Kishore Singh (Janata Dal (United), Bihar); Mr. P Rajeeve (Communist Party of India (Marxist) and Mr. Rajniti Prasad (Rashtriya Janta Dal, Bihar). Lok Sabha members joining the delegation include Mr. Yashwant Sinha (Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Hazaribagh, Jharkhand); Mr. Asaduddin Owaisi (All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen, Hyderabad, Andhrapradesh); Mr. Baijayant Jay Panda (Biju Janata Dal, Kendrapara, Odisha); Mr. Deepender Hooda, (INC, Nabarangpur (ST), Odisha); Mr. Hamdullah Sayeed (INC, Lakshadweep (ST), Lakshadweep); Syed Shahnawaz Hussain, (BJP, Bhagalpur, Bihar); Mr. Shatrughan Sinha (BJP, Patna Sahib, Bihar); Ms. Supriya Sadanand Sule (Nationalist Congress Party, Baramati Maharashtra) and Mr. Bhartruhari Mahtab (Biju Janata Dal, Cuttack, Odisha).

Pakistani MPs who joined the Dialogue included Senator Ishaq Dar (Punjab, PML-N), Senator Saeeda Iqbal (ICT, PPPP), Senator Tariq Azeem Khan (ICT, PML), Mr. Humayun Saifullah Khan, MNA, (NA-27Lakki Marwat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, PML), Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Abdul Qadir Baloch, MNA (NA-271 Kharan-cum-Panjgur, Balochistan, PML-N), Mr. Ayaz Amir, MNA (NA-60, Chakwal-I, Punjab, PML-N), Dr. Farooq Sattar (MNA, NA-249, Karachi-XI, Sindh, MQM), Ms. Fouzia Ejaz Khan, MNA, (NA-317-Sindh-X, MQM), Ms. Imrana Saeed Jamil, MNA, (NA-318, Sindh-XI, Sindh, MQM), Mr. Khurram Dastgir Khan, MNA, (NA-96, Gujranwala-II, Punjab, PML-N), Ms. Khushbakht Shujaat, MNA, (NA-250, Karachi XII, Sindh, MQM), Mr. Kishan Chand Parwani, MNA, (NA-341, Non-Muslim-IX, PML), Dr. Lal Chand, MNA (NA-335, Non-Muslim-III, Sindh, PPPP), Mian Abdul Sattar, MNA, (NA-193 R.Y.Khan-II, Punjab, PPPP), Nawabzada Malik Amad Khan, MNA, (NA-71 Mianwali-I, Punjab, PPPP), Ch. Naseer Ahmed Bhutta, MNA, (NA-127, Lahore-X, Punjab, PML-N), Dr. Nahid Shahid Ali, MNA, (NA-315, Sindh-VIII, MQM), Begum Nuzhat Sadiq, MNA, (NA-277, Punjab-V, PML-N), Mr. Riaz Fatyana, MNA, (NA-94, T.T. Singh-III, Punjab, PML), Mr. Sajid Ahmad, MNA (NA-257, Karachi-XIX, Sindh, MQM), Mr. Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, MNA, (NA-50, Rawalpindi-I, Punjab, PML-N), Ms. Shahnaz Wazir Ali, MNA, (NA-290, Punjab-XVIII, PPPP), Mr. Abdul Rasheed Godil, MNA, (NA-252 Karachi XIV, Sindh, MQM), Ms. Shireen Arshad Khan, (NA-283, Punjab-XI, PML-N), Ms. Tasneem Sidiqui, MNA, (NA-285, Punjab-XIII, PML-N), Ms. Parveen Masood Bhatti, (NA-281, Punjab-IX, PML-N) and Ms. Shahnaz Saleem, MNA, (NA-280, Punjab-VIII, PML-N).

The Pakistan-India Parliamentarians Dialogue-III will conclude in Islamabad on January 18, 2012.