The 5th conference of the Association of SAARC Speakers and Parliamentarians will be held in New Delhi from July 9 to 12, the second time that the event is being held in India.
The Speakers of Parliaments of SAARC Countries first met in Sri Lanka in June 1992 and resolved to set up an Association of SAARC Speakers and Parliamentarians. They met in Kathmandu in November 1992. In the First South Asian Festival (held in India in October 1992 with participation from all Member Countries), a unique event which focused on the rich cultural heritage of South Asia, formally launched the "Association of SAARC Speakers and Parliamentarians" and adopted the Charter of the Association. The Speakers Council, which is the Apex Body of the Association, finalised and ratified the draft rules of the Association prepared by the Parliamentary Secretaries-General in January 1994. Since then they have met periodically and addressed issues of common interest to member countries. The Heads of State or Government at their Seventh Summit (Dhaka, April 1993) welcomed the initiative of the Speakers of Parliaments of SAARC Countries in forming the Association.
The Inaugural Ceremony of the Fifth Conference of the Association of SAARC Speakers and Parliamentarians will be held in the Central Hall of Parliament House on Saturday, the 9th July, 2011 at 1800 hours. Hon’ble Prime Minister (India), Dr. Manmohan Singh will inaugurate the Conference and deliver the Inaugural Address. Hon’ble Speaker, Lok Sabha will deliver the Welcome Address. H.E Chamal Rajapakse, Speaker of the Parliament of Sri Lanka will deliver the vote of thanks speech in his capacity as the former President of Association of SAARC Speakers and Parliamentarians.
Lok Sabha (India) Speaker Meira Kumar constituted the Reception Committee for the Conference with K Rahman Khan, Deputy Chairman, Rajya Sabha, as its chairman and Kariya Munda, Deputy Speaker as the co-chairman. The committee comprises 38 members, including Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Pawan Kumar Bansal; besides sitting and former members of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.
Pakistan is set to unleash woman power at the Conference. The Pakistan contingent, led by National Assembly Speaker Fehmida Mirza, will include three women MPs, Tasneem Siddiqui, Shahnaz Ali and Kashmala Tariq. Mirza is the first woman Speaker in the Muslim world. Afghanistan is making a debut at the conference.
The Conference will deliberate upon two themes: "Consolidating Democracy: Strengthening Trust between Parliament and the People" and "Sustainable Development in SAARC Countries- The Way Forward". Earlier, the Conferences have been held in Delhi, Islamabad, Dhaka and Colombo.
(Lok Sabha Link .....)
