PARLIAMENTARY DIPLOMACY

INTRODUCTION
WHAT IS PARLIAMENTARY DIPLOMACY?
Parliamentary Diplomacy is a significant point of view and elective type of strategy, regardless
of whether not generally concentrated at this point, grown recently by the rising job of
Parliaments and their enlistment in international concerns and global relations issues. Overall
these issues have been considered as an elite ability of Foreign Ministries and separate
Clergymen, including the principal job of Prime Minister as the critical political entertainer of
the public authority or presidential branch. At similar time, diplomats or different types of
strategy with respect to model social tact are viewed as the principal instruments to create and
advance the worldwide relations between nations. By the by these realities, Parliaments address
an intricate and broadened issues relating with the job they play in unfamiliar issues. These skills
give the Parliaments a significant power during the time spent strategy or international concerns.
Parliamentary discretion is the means by which at least two parliaments lead a continuous
discourse as to key worldwide issues.

PARLIAMENTARY DIPLOMACY IN PAKISTAN

On March 07, 2019, the Speaker National Assembly has said that the significance of
parliamentary discretion in the present globalized world is in a certain reality and Parliament in
Pakistan is putting forth all attempts to welcome all Parliaments on one stage to wipe out the
issues of neediness, ignorance and segregation looked by the world as parliaments are agent
voice of individuals. He communicated these perspectives while tending to the gathering
facilitated out of appreciation for Conveners of Parliamentary Friendship Groups and Diplomatic
Community in the Parliament House on Thursday.

GOALS OF PARLIAMENTARY FRIENDSHIP GROUPS IN PAKISTAN

(a) To promote friendly relations between Pakistan with elected representatives amongst
fraternity of democratic governments;
(b) To provide means for realizing and promoting closer cooperation and understanding between
the National Assembly and the Parliamentary Institutions of friendly countries as well as
international assemblies and organizations by organizing seminars, visits, exchange
programmers including cultural exchange, and any other activity that may be deemed
appropriate;
(c) To keep informed the National Assembly and partner Representative Institutions of the other
countries of the progress made in this regard.

CASE STUDY: PARLIAMENTARY FRIENDSHIP GROUP WITH INDIA

The Speaker said that he has formed 93 Parliamentary Friendship Groups to make parliamentary
discretion proactive and for improving participation in the field of exchange and trading human
resources as well as scholarly sharing. He communicated his determination that Pakistan is
focused on harmony and dependability in the area as it was obviously communicated by
Pakistani government during ongoing acceleration with India.
The Speaker said that India is focused on bring bedlam and unsteadiness by his hostility in
Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK) and on Line of Control (LOC) while Pakistan enjoys been
committed for getting harmony and strength the district. He additionally referenced that at each
progression of Pakistani government showed its determination for harmony while India actually
is inclined to hostility and war mongering. He said that Parliament of Pakistan has taken on
National Action Plan to counter the danger of illegal intimidation and radicalism. He additionally
communicated his perspectives that at present Pakistan need backing of global local area to
reinforce harmony and participation on the planet.
Asad Qaiser expressed that without settling Kashmir issue it wouldn't be imaginable to support
harmony in the region. He informed that the Speaker Lok Saba was presented through
Parliamentary Friendship Group for tranquil goal of the issues. He likewise referenced that Prime
Minister Imran Khan has reconciled and in his most memorable discourse to the country he
offered exchange with India to determine all quarrelsome issue. While valuing the boldness of
Pakistan Armed Forces, the Speaker said that our Armed Forces are completely ready to confront
any experience. In any case, National initiative has shown integrity and restriction. The Joint
Sitting of the Parliament additionally took on Joint Resolution which mirrors the solidarity in
Nations.
Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said that Parliamentary Friendship bunches give an ideal stage
to parliamentarians to improve entomb parliamentary strategy to tackle all issue looked by the
world. He likewise said that this parliamentary companionship bunches additionally offer a
chance to parliamentarians to consider out the case to bring individuals focused discretion. The
gathering was gone to by huge number of Conveners of Parliamentary Friendship Groups,
Parliamentarians and strategic local area.

CASE STUDY: PARLIAMENTARY FRIENDSHIP GROUP WITH

AFGHANISTAN
National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser's lead of parliamentary strategy through the
Parliamentary Friendship Group with Afghanistan presents an intriguing contextual
investigation.
To place things into setting, it is helpful to initially analyze the disquietude tormenting our
exchange commitment with Afghanistan. Exchange and trade with Afghanistan has been
languishing over various years now. It's top at around $2.5 billion of every 2011 has been
diminished to a pleasant memory in particular. In 2019, the volume of exchange had come down
to around $800 million. Couple, was the immense redirection of almost 50% of Afghan Transit
Trade through Pakistan to Iran in a similar time span. Pakistan in a real sense empowered
Chabahar to prosper at the expense of Karachi ports.
All in all, how did this plunge in exchange occur? The response is somewhat basic. Afghan
travel exchange is inseparably connected to our respective exchange. At the point when
Afghanistan faces any issues opposite its travel exchange, it sets up non-levy boundaries for
reciprocal exchange also. The commodity area accordingly takes care of government wariness or
nonsensical activism. Security contemplations were utilized against exchange by the two sides.
The fact that bigger issues were made makes moreover, more modest issues settled such. The
energetic enemy of carrying drive likewise discouraged Pakistani commodities significantly.
With these difficulties in the rearview reflect, the speaker of the National Assembly stepped up
and alleviate what is happening and unshackle the enormous capability of exchange and
speculation between the two nations. He framed a leader council of the Pak Afghan
Parliamentary companionship bunch. The board hosted cross-get-together portrayal; MNAs with
mastery in worldwide exchange regulation and business were gotten alongside portrayal from
districts most impacted by the plunge in reciprocal exchange - like past FATA and Chaman.
Different bunches of issues were distinguished and teams were laid out to manage those issues in
an engaged way. North of 15 institutional partners were co-picked in the councils and teams.
They were given a straightforward general goal: to build the quantity of travel exchange holders
clearing the boundary crossing focuses from a normal of then 250 to 2000. It was when north of
12,000 record travel exchange compartments was stuck at air terminals with 4000 more among
Karachi and line crossing focuses like Torkham and Chaman.
Holders used to require anyplace somewhere in the range of 28 and 40 days among air terminals
and boundary crossing focuses with Afghanistan. There were unlawful and coerced leaving
regions and courses where the trucks had to stop and made to pay anyplace somewhere in the
range of Rs10,000 and Rs60,000. The circumstance was truly bleak, and the doubt of Afghans
was at a record-breaking high.
Asad Qaiser regularly assembled conferences of all partners and made them work out feasible
answers for north of 50 of all shapes and sizes issues liable for the critical waterways. The
discussion was effective to such an extent that it surpassed its own assumptions. An
exceptionally liberal visa system was acquainted for Afghans wishing with movement to
Pakistan. In October and November, the Pakistan international safe haven and its offices in
Afghanistan gave north of 150,000 visas. These included 30,000 business visas.
Three new boundary crossing focuses (Ghulam Khan, Kharlachi and Angoor Adda) were
operationalized for Transit Trade. Unlawful arranging regions were shut down and the time taken
by a travel exchange holder to clear Pakistan boiled down to three days from 28 days. In only
four months, the degree of holder leeway had outperformed 2700 every day, almost multiple
times than the July 2020 levels. Closely following these turns of events, a stupendous exchange
and venture discussion was coordinated in Islamabad, which was gone to by more than 150
Afghans including the speaker of the Afghan public gathering alongside individuals from Afghan
standing panels, policymakers and large finance managers.
The magnificence of this drive is that progress was accomplished under the cardinal rule that
parliament is a recommendatory and oversight body and won't meddle in that frame of mind of
the chief and a great deal can be accomplished in exchange with Afghanistan without
compromising the security objectives stylish.
These parliamentary undertakings enormously diminished the doubt among Pakistan and
Afghanistan. Afghans were thankful to such an extent that after quite a while they turned out to
be eager to finish a Preferential Trade Agreement with Pakistan alongside the cutting edge
settlement on the Afghan-Pakistan Transit Trade.
The stage is good to go now for a quick and maintainable development of respective exchange
also. Its true capacity is gigantic and anyplace between $6 billion to $8 billion. In the event that
Pakistan can tap this open door well, work development in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and
Balochistan would be significant. As per a few assessments, for each billion bucks of products to
Afghanistan, 500,000 positions are made in Pakistan. Subsequently, these actions could
significantly ease neediness through work creation in regions at the very front of the conflict
against psychological warfare. It would consequently bring about a change in perspective in the
security circumstance there.
The following stage is to effectively utilized the altruism made and arrange a correction of
Afghanistan's strategy system versus Pakistan's travel exchange a way that we can contact the
economies of the five Central Asian Republics through it, opening up an enormous market of
more than 300 million spirits for the Pakistani modern and administrations areas. If and when
that occurs, colossal open doors for Pakistani products would show.
The illustration from the speaker's drive on Afghanistan is basic: exchange ought to lead the way
and should not be made prisoner to the promising and less promising times of governmental
issues or security. The speaker's drive has shown the manner in which parliament can assume its
part in the development of Pakistan's exchange and speculation attaches with the world. It has set
an exceptionally high bar for parliamentary strategy in future.

NATIONAL INITIATIVE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS

(SDG)
What are SDGs?

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), also known as the Global Goals, were adopted by
the United Nations in 2015 as a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and
ensure that by 2030 all people enjoy peace and prosperity.

The 17 SDGs are integrated—they recognize that action in one area will affect outcomes in
others, and that development must balance social, economic and environmental sustainability.

Countries have committed to prioritize progress for those who're furthest behind. The SDGs are
designed to end poverty, hunger, AIDS, and discrimination against women and girls.

The creativity, knowhow, technology and financial resources from all of society is necessary to
achieve the SDGs in every context.
Pakistan has prioritized the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which will enable us to join
the league of upper middle-class countries by 2030. Pakistan was the first country to adopt SDGs
2030 agenda through a unanimous resolution of the Parliament of Pakistan. The 2030 Agenda is
a plan of action for people, planet and prosperity. It also seeks to strengthen universal peace in
larger freedom. Which recognises that eradicating poverty in all its forms and dimensions,
including extreme poverty, is the greatest global challenge and an indispensable requirement for
sustainable development. All countries and all stakeholders, acting in collaborative partnership,
will implement this plan.
We are resolved to free the human race from the tyranny of poverty and want and to heal and
secure our planet. We are determined to take the bold and transformative steps which are
urgently needed to shift the world onto a sustainable and resilient path. As we embark on this
collective journey, we pledge that no one will be left behind.
The 17 Sustainable Development Goals and 169 targets which we are announcing today
demonstrate the scale and ambition of this new universal Agenda. They seek to build on the
Millennium Development Goals and complete what these did not achieve. They seek to realize
the human rights of all and to achieve gender equality and the empowerment of all women and
girls. They are integrated and indivisible and balance the three dimensions of sustainable
development: the economic, social and environmental.
The Goals and targets will stimulate action over the next fifteen years in areas of critical
importance for humanity and the planet
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS (SDGs)
There are in total 17 SDGs:
1. No poverty
2. Zero Hunger
3. Good health & well-being
4. Quality Education
5. Gender Equality
6. Clean water & sanitation
7. Affordable & clean energy
8. Decent work & economic growth
9. Industry, innovation & infrastructure
10. Reduced inequalities
11. Sustainable cities & communities
12. Responsible consumption & production
13. Climate action
14. Life below water
15. Life on land
16. Peace, justice and strong institutions
17. Partnership for the goals

REFERENCE
 https://www.sdgpakistan.pk/
 https://na.gov.pk/en/pressrelease_detail.php?id=3469
 https://na.gov.pk/en/pressrelease_detail.php?id=4756