ADDRESS BY THE Prime Minister of Pakistan
Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani
***********
Honourable Cabinet Ministers,
Lords, Members of Parliament,
High Commissioner Wajid Shamsul Hasan,
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen.
I am extremely pleased to interact with the distinguished members of the British Parliament here in these historic premises, which are not only the emblem of parliamentary democracy but also the repository of a rich heritage and traditions.
I am undertaking this visit at the invitation of Prime Minister David Cameron for the first summit review of the Enhanced Strategic Dialogue (ESD), which was initiated by the two of us last year.
The ESD provides a framework for a regular and comprehensive review of our excellent cooperation, covering a wide spectrum of bilateral, regional and international issues of mutual interest. I am satisfied that we have made good progress under the ESD framework. And I look forward to holding detailed and wide ranging discussions with Prime Minister Cameron and other members of his cabinet tomorrow to further intensify this cooperation.
Distinguished friends,
We have reason to be satisfied that relations between Pakistan and the United Kingdom are on a strong footing. Our ties have been traditionally warm and friendly given our shared history, cultural affinities and strong people-to-people contacts.
Let me take this opportunity to express our sincere gratitude to the British government and its people for having stood by us in our difficult times — particularly in the aftermath of unprecedented floods that devastated the country.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
In order to enhance our bilateral trade and investment, our two governments have decided to jointly launch a trade and investment promotion Roadmap. The Roadmap envisages not only to take the bilateral trade to £2.5 billion by 2015 but also enhance investment opportunities.
The United Kingdom has been a consistent advocate for Pakistan to gain enhanced trade access to the European Union. We are appreciative of the UK support for EU trade concessions for Pakistan in the wake of the 2010 floods. And we hope that the United Kingdom would continue supporting Pakistan’s request for GSP Plus.
Distinguished Members of Parliament;
We are also together in the common fight against terrorism and extremism. The democratic government has created national ownership to this campaign and has brought all stakeholders on board. Our Parliament has recently reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to the elimination of terrorism and combating extremism in pursuance of our national interest. We have also repeatedly said that we would not allow our territory to be used for any kind of attacks on other countries and we expect that the soil of other countries would not be used against Pakistan.
The sacrifices made by Pakistan in its campaign against militancy, terrorism and extremism are unparalleled, and our resolve remains unshakeable.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The Government of Pakistan believes that its agenda for prosperity and development can only be achieved in an environment of peace and security.
It is in this context that we are keen to normalise our relations with all our neighbours, particularly India and Afghanistan. Pakistan strongly believes that a peaceful and stable Afghanistan is an absolute prerequisite for stability and peace in Pakistan. Pakistan is the first to suffer at the hands of strife in Afghanistan and the first to benefit from peace in Afghanistan. However, the solution to Afghanistan’s problem lies inside Afghanistan. It has to come from Afghans and has to be led by Afghans themselves.
My Government has made tremendous strides in building a constructive relationship with India. We have made significant progress on trade and economic cooperation and are in the process of granting MFN status to India despite some hurdles. We have started the Dialogue process with India. We want to resolve all outstanding issues, including Jammu and Kashmir, through an uninterrupted, meaningful and result-oriented dialogue.
Distinguished friends,
I am pleased to note that the Parliaments of the United Kingdom and Pakistan enjoy excellent relations, manifested through a regular exchange of visits by parliamentarians from both sides.
British Parliament is known as the mother of democecy and the Fourm of Commonwealth has been proudly espousing the cause of democracy and the human rights among the member countries. Pakistan became the member of the Commonwealth in 1947 soon after it became independent which was suspended during the military dictatorship of General Zia-ul-Haq during eightiy’s . It was restored when Shaheed Benazir Bhutto became Prime Minister after the elections in the country. The membership of Pakistan again suspended during General Musharrf military rule and restored after the incubment government led by me came to power as a result of elections in 2008. Commonwealth indeed represents the aspirations of the people as it has gained glory as a powerful symbol of peopel,s empowerment and rejects the military rule in its totalituy.I am happy to mention that there is not a single political prisioner in Pakistan today. Media is completely free and the civil society is robust and human rights organisations, assertions is making qualitative difference so far as the human rights are concerned. Judiciary is free from any stretch of imagination. In the last Summit of Commonwealth in Perth, Australia, the Fourm was unanimious in supporting the democratic governments of member states to put its support and foil the designs of those who usurp the rights of the people. Let me conclude by thanking you once again for attending this reception. Your presence in such large numbers is a reflection of the importance Pakistan enjoys with the United Kingdom, its government and its people.
I thank you all.
Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani
***********
Honourable Cabinet Ministers,
Lords, Members of Parliament,
High Commissioner Wajid Shamsul Hasan,
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen.
I am extremely pleased to interact with the distinguished members of the British Parliament here in these historic premises, which are not only the emblem of parliamentary democracy but also the repository of a rich heritage and traditions.
I am undertaking this visit at the invitation of Prime Minister David Cameron for the first summit review of the Enhanced Strategic Dialogue (ESD), which was initiated by the two of us last year.
The ESD provides a framework for a regular and comprehensive review of our excellent cooperation, covering a wide spectrum of bilateral, regional and international issues of mutual interest. I am satisfied that we have made good progress under the ESD framework. And I look forward to holding detailed and wide ranging discussions with Prime Minister Cameron and other members of his cabinet tomorrow to further intensify this cooperation.
Distinguished friends,
We have reason to be satisfied that relations between Pakistan and the United Kingdom are on a strong footing. Our ties have been traditionally warm and friendly given our shared history, cultural affinities and strong people-to-people contacts.
Let me take this opportunity to express our sincere gratitude to the British government and its people for having stood by us in our difficult times — particularly in the aftermath of unprecedented floods that devastated the country.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
In order to enhance our bilateral trade and investment, our two governments have decided to jointly launch a trade and investment promotion Roadmap. The Roadmap envisages not only to take the bilateral trade to £2.5 billion by 2015 but also enhance investment opportunities.
The United Kingdom has been a consistent advocate for Pakistan to gain enhanced trade access to the European Union. We are appreciative of the UK support for EU trade concessions for Pakistan in the wake of the 2010 floods. And we hope that the United Kingdom would continue supporting Pakistan’s request for GSP Plus.
Distinguished Members of Parliament;
We are also together in the common fight against terrorism and extremism. The democratic government has created national ownership to this campaign and has brought all stakeholders on board. Our Parliament has recently reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to the elimination of terrorism and combating extremism in pursuance of our national interest. We have also repeatedly said that we would not allow our territory to be used for any kind of attacks on other countries and we expect that the soil of other countries would not be used against Pakistan.
The sacrifices made by Pakistan in its campaign against militancy, terrorism and extremism are unparalleled, and our resolve remains unshakeable.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The Government of Pakistan believes that its agenda for prosperity and development can only be achieved in an environment of peace and security.
It is in this context that we are keen to normalise our relations with all our neighbours, particularly India and Afghanistan. Pakistan strongly believes that a peaceful and stable Afghanistan is an absolute prerequisite for stability and peace in Pakistan. Pakistan is the first to suffer at the hands of strife in Afghanistan and the first to benefit from peace in Afghanistan. However, the solution to Afghanistan’s problem lies inside Afghanistan. It has to come from Afghans and has to be led by Afghans themselves.
My Government has made tremendous strides in building a constructive relationship with India. We have made significant progress on trade and economic cooperation and are in the process of granting MFN status to India despite some hurdles. We have started the Dialogue process with India. We want to resolve all outstanding issues, including Jammu and Kashmir, through an uninterrupted, meaningful and result-oriented dialogue.
Distinguished friends,
I am pleased to note that the Parliaments of the United Kingdom and Pakistan enjoy excellent relations, manifested through a regular exchange of visits by parliamentarians from both sides.
British Parliament is known as the mother of democecy and the Fourm of Commonwealth has been proudly espousing the cause of democracy and the human rights among the member countries. Pakistan became the member of the Commonwealth in 1947 soon after it became independent which was suspended during the military dictatorship of General Zia-ul-Haq during eightiy’s . It was restored when Shaheed Benazir Bhutto became Prime Minister after the elections in the country. The membership of Pakistan again suspended during General Musharrf military rule and restored after the incubment government led by me came to power as a result of elections in 2008. Commonwealth indeed represents the aspirations of the people as it has gained glory as a powerful symbol of peopel,s empowerment and rejects the military rule in its totalituy.I am happy to mention that there is not a single political prisioner in Pakistan today. Media is completely free and the civil society is robust and human rights organisations, assertions is making qualitative difference so far as the human rights are concerned. Judiciary is free from any stretch of imagination. In the last Summit of Commonwealth in Perth, Australia, the Fourm was unanimious in supporting the democratic governments of member states to put its support and foil the designs of those who usurp the rights of the people. Let me conclude by thanking you once again for attending this reception. Your presence in such large numbers is a reflection of the importance Pakistan enjoys with the United Kingdom, its government and its people.
I thank you all.
No comments:
Post a Comment