'Collective' wisdom needed for peace
Participants of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) South-East Asia Regions Joint Conference have urged the need to take collective measures for maintaining peace in the region, dealing with terrorism with an iron hand, fighting against poor economic conditions and devising comprehensive climate change policies.
They termed the conference a vital platform for regional parliamentary collaboration while reinforcing commitments to sustainable governance, democracy and collective regional progress.
The inaugural ceremony of the conference took place at the Punjab Assembly. The event was attended by over 100 representatives from 20 legislatures including delegations from Sri Lanka, the Maldives, the United Kingdom, Zambia, Malaysia and Pakistan.
The distinguished guests included 13 Speakers, 4 Deputy Speakers, and 1 Chairman. Speaker of the National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq graced the session as a chief guest while CPA Chairperson Dr Christopher Kalila praised the initiative as a much-needed step for regional parliamentary engagement.
Addressing the conference, CPA Chairperson Dr Kalila said the long-standing issue of the CPA's legal status was now nearing resolution. The CPA Status Bill passed its third reading in the House of Commons on December 18, 2024 and has also received royal assent.
Senator Pele Peter Tinggom from Malaysia said, "We had been facing numerous challenges and there is a need to take collective measures to deal with these challenges."
He said global health crises were emerging ahead and "we have to declare a health emergency so that we are able to fight against COVID-like diseases. We have to maintain peace in the region and the need of the hour is to sustain our economies."
CPA Secretary-General Mataya said this was a new opportunity to formulate a strategy by making legislation in a new direction. He emphasized the importance of strengthening and stabilizing parliament.
Deputy Speaker of the UK House of Commons Nusrat Ghani stated that constructive criticism in parliamentary democracy could help improve the democratic system. She also highlighted the need to make the platforms of the CPA and IPA more effective.
During the conference, Speaker of Selangor Malaysia Lau Weng San stated that the Punjab Assembly's initiative to host the parliamentary conference was commendable and that the event would help the participants understand and improve each other's parliamentary systems.
Sindh Assembly Speaker Syed Owais Qadir Shah emphasized the need to work on class divisions and the rights of minorities. "We must promote regional and global relations," he added.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Assembly Speaker Babar Saleem Swati said, "We have witnessed British history wherein parliament had been weakened and we are now seeing the same practice in light of the PECA act and the ban on political parties."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Recorder
9 hours ago
- Business Recorder
India, UK trade deal signals Modi's priorities as New Delhi eyes EU, US pacts
NEW DELHI: India's trade deal with Britain is a sign of New Delhi's new gradual shift to opening up its markets while shielding crucial sectors from competition and could be its template for future agreements, government officials and analysts said on Friday. Signed on Thursday and hailed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as 'a blueprint for our shared prosperity', the deal with the UK represents India's biggest ever strategic partnership with an advanced economy. It comes at a time rising global trade tensions and at a pivotal moment for India's historically protectionist trade strategy, as the Asian giant looks to strike similar deals with partners including the EU, U.S., and New Zealand. Under the pact, India notably agreed to cut tariffs on imported British vehicles, opening up competition for a domestic industry that makes up nearly 7% of the Indian economy. 'This is a policy shift, especially as India has long used high tariffs to protect domestic manufacturers,' Ajay Srivastava, founder of Global Trade Research Initiative and a former Indian trade negotiator, told Reuters. India's Modi and UK PM Starmer ink trade deal The easing of its protectionist stance also applies to government procurement and pharmaceuticals and will likely be replicated in deals with Brussels and Washington, he added. But it remains a cautious shift. Under the UK deal, auto imports will be capped under a quota system to shield local manufacturers, and tariff reductions will be gradual. India has committed to reducing auto tariffs from over 100% to 10% over 15 years, within an annual import quota starting at 10,000 units and rising to 19,000 in year five. Tariff reductions on whisky and other goods will also be phased over several years to allow domestic industries to adjust. Red lines India has stuck to its red lines in the deal, making no concessions on agricultural items such as apples and walnuts or dairy products including cheese and whey. 'There is no question of opening up the agriculture or dairy sector in any trade negotiation — be it with the EU, Australia, or even the U.S.,' a senior Indian official said. India, US interim trade deal prospects dim ahead of tariff deadline, sources say The calibrated strategy aims to leverage trade for economic growth, the official said, but the government will continue to shield millions of Indians dependent upon subsistence farming and low-margin work. Indian farmers are eyeing broadened access to the UK's $37.5 billion agriculture market under the deal. And Indian exporters will benefit from zero tariffs on goods including textiles, footwear, gems, furniture, auto parts, machinery, and chemicals. 'With zero tariffs, India's garment exports to the UK could double in three years,' said N. Thirukkumaran, general secretary of the Tiruppur Exporters Association. 'This also paves the way for the EU agreement, which could bring even bigger gains,' he added. But the strategy could face a major test in negotiations with U.S. President Donald Trump's administration, which has used the threat of steep tariffs to pressure trading partners into making concessions. Trade Minister Piyush Goyal told Reuters on Thursday that India is also hopeful of reaching a trade agreement with Washington that includes 'special and preferred treatment'. But the U.S. is pushing for greater access to India's agricultural and dairy markets.
Express Tribune
10 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Pakistan calls on tech firms to curb terror content
Pakistan has ramped up efforts to counter online extremism by urging international social media companies to take stronger action against terrorist content, while inviting them to establish local offices in the country, senior officials said Friday. 'We are building walls against terrorism, not silencing free speech,' said Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhary, during a press briefing outlining Pakistan's new digital security push. He said Pakistan remains a 'global bulwark in the fight against terrorism' and has detected hundreds of terrorism-linked accounts on platforms like Facebook, YouTube and X (formerly Twitter). According to the Ministry of Interior, groups such as Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Islamic State-Khorasan Province (ISKP), Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) and Baloch Liberation Front (BLF) are actively using social media to spread propaganda and recruit youth. The government said 2,417 complaints related to terrorist content are currently under review, and platforms must respond with urgency. 'Social media companies must use AI to swiftly remove terrorist content,' Chaudhary said. Officials noted that the United Nations has banned ISKP and TTP, while the US and UK have designated BLA a terrorist organisation, adding weight to Pakistan's demands. Minister of Law Barrister Aqeel said promoting terrorist ideology is 'a punishable offence under PECA (Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act),' and warned that 'offenders will face prosecution.' The government has called on global platforms to block terrorist accounts, share IP data and user metadata with authorities and develop and implement automatic detection and blocking algorithms. To facilitate cooperation, Islamabad invited foreign social media firms to establish offices in Pakistan and support efforts to counteract digital radicalisation. 'Pakistan urges international cooperation to counter digital terrorism threats,' Chaudhary said, adding that the country's call aligns with global security efforts.
Business Recorder
14 hours ago
- Business Recorder
Britain, Australia to deepen AUKUS commitment, economic ties
SYDNEY: Britain's commitment to Australia was 'absolute', Defence Secretary John Healey said on Friday as the two countries' defence and foreign ministers held talks in Sydney on boosting cooperation, including deepening their commitment to the AUKUS nuclear submarine partnership. Healey and Britain's Foreign Minister David Lammy were met by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Sydney, ahead of talks focussed on boosting trade ties and progressing the AUKUS partnership for Britain and Australia to build a new class of nuclear-powered submarine. The United States is reviewing the trilateral agreement struck in 2021, and has pressed Australia to increase defence spending to counter China's military build-up in the Indo Pacific region. Healey said on Friday that AUKUS is one of Britain's most important defence partnerships, and a treaty to be signed with Australia confirms Britain's commitment for the next half century. The new British-Australian treaty will underpin each country's submarine programmes for 50 years, creating tens of thousands of jobs, and is expected to be worth up to 20 billion pounds ($27 billion) to Britain in exports over the next 25 years, Britain's Ministry of Defence said. In opening remarks, Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the two countries were working to shape collective security in the Indo-Pacific region. 'Our UK commitment to Australia is absolute,' Healey told the meeting. The two militaries were deepening ties amid increasing uncertainty and threats, he said. 'This demands a new era of defence, an era in which indivisibility of security in the Indo-Pacifc alongside the security of the Euro-Atlantic, in which the deep relationships like ours with you must be reconfirmed,' he added. Following the Australia-United Kingdom Ministerial Consultations (AUKMIN), ministers are scheduled to travel to Melbourne and the northern garrison city of Darwin, where the British aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales has arrived for the Talisman Sabre war games. Trump aware, supportive of AUKUS pact, US defense secretary says As many as 40,000 troops from 19 countries are taking part in the Talisman Sabre exercises held from July 13 to August 4, which Australia's military has said are a rehearsal of joint war fighting that contribute to stability in the Indo-Pacific. Britain has significantly increased its participation in the exercise co-hosted by Australia and the United States, with 3,000 troops taking part.
