ISLAMABAD: National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq on Thursday said Pakistani and Chinese political leadership were determined to further consolidate the all-weather and time-tested Pak-China friendship.
The speaker said that CPEC would provide a solid foundation for the socio-economic development of Pakistan and would prove to be a milestone in the development and prosperity of the region. He expressed these views while talking to a Chinese delegation led by Wang Sanyun, Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) of Gansu Province who called on Speaker in Parliament House. The Speaker said that the political leadership of Pakistan places considerable importance on the maintenance of an extremely close and cordial relationship between China and Pakistan.
He said that China-Pak Friendship was all-weather and exemplary for the world. He expressed the need to further expand people to people contact and cultural and political exchanges which would indeed play a pivotal role in transmitting the rich traditions of our friendships to future generations. He expressed his gratitude to the Chinese unwavering support to Pakistan for economic, energy, communication and infrastructure development sectors. He thanked for Chinese assistance for establishing solar power generation system at Parliament House terming it recognition of long standing relations between Pakistan and China.
He said Pakistani parliament would have the distinction of being the first parliament in the region to go green. Admiring the Chinese leadership, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq said that the Chinese leadership has guided the Chinese economy to attain a remarkable level. The speaker said CPEC would further expand the Pak-China relationship by providing it a solid foundation to the socio-economic development in Pakistan. The speaker also appraised the delegation about the Parliamentary Committee on CPEC, which would guide the government on monitoring and implementation of the projects.
Talking about the menace of terrorism and extremism, the Speaker called for global collective efforts for countering this challenge. He said that government was committed to eradicate terrorism through military Operation Zarb-e-Azb, which will continue till extermination of last terrorist. Wang Sanyun thanked the Government of Pakistan for hospitality extended to his delegation and praised the government for pursuing economic development in the country. He also commended the courage and resilient of people of Pakistan for showing commitment to continue the course of development and economic prosperity despite facing the challenges of terrorism and extremism.
He briefed the Speaker on socio-economic development in the Province of Gansu and said that it was keenly looking forward to participate in the CPEC projects. He further informed that Gansu province is planning to host International Cultural Exhibition in 2016 and extended invitation to the Speaker to witness the event.