ISLAMABAD: Senate Chairman Syed Nayyer Hussain Bokhari has said that Pakistan is against terrorism in all its forms and manifestation which threaten peace and stability in the region.

In a meeting during his visit to Syria with the Syrian Peoples Assembly Speaker Mohammad Jihadal-Laham, he stressed the importance of respecting the country’s sovereignty and assisting it in finding a political solution to the crisis being faced by it, a press release issued here said.

“As member of the United Nations, Pakistan believes in all nations’ right to independent decision-making and rejects foreign interference in sovereign countries,” he said, calling for respecting the will of the Syrian people.

He said terrorist organisations, mainly the Islamic State group, were tarnishing the image of Islam, adding that Pakistan has long suffered from the scourge of terrorism.

He pointed to stringent measures taken to prevent the terrorist organisation from mounting any attack in Pakistan.

Mr Bokhari underlined the role parliamentarians could play in finding peaceful, political solutions to problems and stressing the importance of consultation between friendly countries for public welfare.

The Syria speaker called for utilising parliamentary diplomacy in combating international terrorism and preventing foreign meddling in the affairs of sovereign states.

In a joint press conference, Mr Bokhari praised the openness shown by the Syrian leadership to resolve the crisis through dialogue.

Syrian Prime Minister Dr Wael al-Halqi, during his meeting with the Senate chairman, discussed means to vitalise cooperation between the two countries to cover the economic, industrial, technical and medical sectors.

Published in Dawn, February 25th, 2015

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