May 28, 2003	Wednesday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 25,1424

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ISLAMABAD, May 27: National Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Amir Hussain, who is leading a nine-member parliamentary delegation to Sri Lanka, has said a ‘Pakistan-Sri Lanka parliamentary friendship group’ should be set up in both the countries.

A press release issued here on Tuesday said Mr Hussain called on the Sri Lankan Parliament Speaker Joseph Michael Perera in Colombo.

The Sri Lankan Speaker agreed with the idea and suggested mutual exchange of visits of parliamentary delegations to further explore the setting up of this friendship group.

Mr Hussain was accompanied by Senator Abdul Razzaq Thahim and High Commissioner of Pakistan to Sri Lanka Ashraf Qureshi.

The National Assembly Speaker is in Colombo to attend a regional seminar on ‘parliamentary and budgetary process from conoral perspective’ organized by Sri Lankan Parliament and the Inter Parliamentary Union (IPU).

He briefed his Sri Lankan counterpart on the revival of democracy in Pakistan. He informed Mr Perera about the increase the women representation in the Parliament which now stood at around 22 per cent being one of the highest in the world.

They also spoke about the exemplary and cordial relations between Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The Speaker of Sri Lankan Parliament said that Pakistan had always been a reliable friend and had extended help to Sri Lanka in difficult circumstances.

About the recent thaw in Indo-Pakistan relations, the Speaker appreciated the Indian peace moves.

Mr Hussain said Pakistan was serious in resolving all disputes with India including Kashmir. Pakistan sought cordial and friendly relations with all its neighbours bases on principles and equality, he added. He was of the view that war was no solution to the problems of poverty and under development besetting the people of South Asia.