New Delhi, August 23; It is a great fortune that India and Pakistan are neighbours that works in favour of each other, said the Speaker of Lok Sabha Honourable Ms. Meira Kumar who hosted the Pakistan delegation visiting India as part of the 4th round of India-Pakistan Parliamentarians Dialogue. Our relationship goes back in history through civilisational bonds and beyond, she said.

She was addressing the Pakistan delegation that called-on her on the sidelines of the 4th round of India-Pakistan Parliamentarians Dialogue that is taking place in New Delhi from August 23-24, 2012.

The Lok Sabha Speaker, while welcoming the delegation to the Parliament and in India, said that the Indian Parliament with 42 political parties represented in it represents the national consensus in India that the people of India want a stronger and peaceful relationship with the people of Pakistan. She appreciated the PILDAT initiative to bring MPs of both countries to the dialogue table and said that Parliamentary engagement is committing the two countries to peacefully resolving all issues of mutual concern and interest.

Earlier today, the 4th round of India-Pakistan Parliamentarians Dialogue was formally inaugurated at the Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi. Honourable Senator Sabir Ali Baloch, Deputy Chairman, Senate of Pakistan (Balochistan, PPPP) and Honourable Mr. Mani Shankar Aiyar, Member, Rajya Sabha (Nominated, INC) initiated the proceedings of the 4th round of Parliamentarians Dialogue with their welcome remarks. Pakistan Co-Chairs Honourable Senator Muhammad Jehangir Bader, Leader of the House, Senate of Pakistan and Honourable Mr. Khurram Dastgir Khan, MNA, Chairman, National Assembly Standing Committee on Commerce (NA-96, Gujranwala-II, Punjab, PML-N) also spoke on the occasion.

The MPs from both sides discussed the opportunities of deepening ties between the two countries specifically focussing on the issues of Visa Regime, the Role of Media, Education and Local Government. The MPs also discussed the developments in the official Pak-India Dialogue.

On the second day of the dialogue on August 24, the MPs will discuss opportunities of collaboration in the area of Health while also developing recommendations on the future scope of the MPs Dialogue.

In his welcome remarks, Mr. Ahmed Bilal Mehboob, Executive Director PILDAT, thanked the organizers of 4th round of dialogue on the Indian side including Honourable Yashwant Sinha, Former Minister of External Affairs and Mr. Mani Shankar Ayer, former union minister. Terming the two leaders as two great towers of strength for the Parliamentarians Dialogue, he said that both leaders have been associated with the organization of the Parliamentarians dialogues for the past 2 years. He also thanked Mr. N. K. Singh, Member of the Rajiya Sabha for his tremendous support to the MPs Dialogue Process. He also thanked the support extended by the two Parliaments especially Honourable Dr. Fehmida Mirza, Speaker National Assembly of Pakistan, Honourable Ms. Meira Kumar, Speaker Lok Sabha and Mr. Faisal Karim Kundi, MNA, Deputy Speaker, National Assembly of Pakistan.

The Pakistan delegation includes Honourable Senator Sabir Ali Baloch, Deputy Chairman, Senate of Pakistan (Balochistan, PPPP); Honourable Senator Haji Muhammad Adeel, Chairman, Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit Baltistan (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, ANP); Honourable Senator Dr. Saeeda Iqbal, Chairperson, Senate Standing Committee on Climate Change (Islamabad Capital Territory, PPPP); Honourable Mr. Nadeem Afzal Gondal, MNA, Chairman Public Accounts Committee, (NA-64, Sargodha-I, Punjab, PPPP); Honourable Mr. Zahid Hamid, MNA, (NA-114, Sialkot-V, Punjab, PML-N); , MNA, (NA-219, Hyderabad-II, Sindh, MQM); Honourable Ms. Anusha Rahman Khan, MNA, (NA-288, Punjab-XVI, Punjab, PML-N); Honourable Mir Amer Ali Khan Magsi, MNA, (NA-206, Larkana-III, Sindh, PPPP); Honourable Mian Abdus Sattar, MNA, Parliamentary Secretary, Planning and Development Commission (NA-193, R.Y.Khan-II, Punjab, PPPP), and Honourable Dr. Nafisa Shah, MNA, Chairperson, National Commission for Human Development (NA-309, Sindh-II, Sindh, PPPP). Mr. Iftikharullah Babar, Secretary Senate of Pakistan, Malik Kamran Azam Khan Rajar, Staff Officer to the Speaker; Deputy Secretary, National Assembly of Pakistan; in-charge of all Parliamentary Friendship Groups in the National Assembly, Mr. Ahmed Bilal Mehboob, Executive Director PILDAT, Ms. Aasiya Riaz, Joint Director PILDAT, Mr. Faheem Ahmed Khan, Projects Manager PILDAT, Mr. Hammal Dostain, Projects Manager PILDAT and Mr. Hamza Rehman Malik, Reporter, Associated Press of Pakistan are also part of the delegation.

Indian Parliamentarians who joined the dialogue from the Rajya Sabha included Honourable Mr. Mani Shankar Aiyar, (Member, Rajya Sabha (Nominated, INC); Honourable Mr. Satyavrat Chaturvedi, Member, Rajya Sabha (Madhya Pradesh, INC); Honourable Mr. M. S. Gill, Member, Rajya Sabha (Punjab, INC); Honourable Mr. Naresh Gujral, Member, Rajya Sabha (Punjab, SAD), Honourable Mrs. Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, Member, Rajya Sabha (Tamil Nadu, DMK); Honourable Dr. Bhalchandra Mungekar, Member, Rajya Sabha (Nominated, INC); Honourable Dr. E. M. Sudarsana Natchiappan, Member, Rajya Sabha (Tamil Nadu, INC); Honourable Mr. N. K. Singh, Member, Rajya Sabha (Bihar, JDU); Honourable Prof. Saifuddin Soz, Member, Rajya Sabha (Jammu & Kashmir, INC); Honourable Mr. Shivanand Tiwari, Member, Rajya Sabha (Bihar, JDU). The Lok Sabha members who joined the dialogue today included Honourable Mr. Kirti (Jha) Azad, Member, Lok Sabha (Darbhanga, Bihar, BJP); Honourable Mr. Bhartruhari Mahtab, Member Lok Sabha (Cuttack, Orissa, BJD), Honourable Mr. Asaduddin Owaisi, Member, Lok Sabha (Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, AIMIM); Honourable Mr. Baijayant Jay Panda, Member Lok Sabha, (Kendrapara, Orissa, BJD); Honourable Mr. Uday Singh, Member, Lok Sabha (Purnia, Bihar, BJP); Honourable Ms. Supriya Sadanand Sule, Member, Lok Sabha (Baramati, Maharashtra, NCP) and Honourable Mr. Madhu Goud Yaskhi, Member, Lok Sabha, (Nizamabad, Andhra Pradesh, INC).

PILDAT (www.pildat.org) has been facilitating dialogues between Parliamentarians of Pakistan and India in order to enhance the role of Parliamentary Diplomacy in improving neighbourly ties in the region and around the World. To-date, PILDAT has facilitated 3 rounds of Dialogues: in Islamabad on January 06-07, 2011; in Delhi on August 17-18, 2011 and the latest Dialogue was held on January 17-18, 2012 in Islamabad.