LAHORE: The Asian Parliamentary Assembly (APA) executive council, that consists of 25 members, has approved the constitution of a special committee to mobilise support and prepare a strategy for establishing Asian Parliament.

The idea by Pakistan was well taken by the executive council at its three-day seventh plenary session on “Quest for Asian Parliament in Asian Century” at a local hotel on Monday. The special committee will have its headquarters at the Senate Secretariat in Islamabad.

India did not attend the APA seventh plenary session and it was announced that assembly secretariat officials would wait for the Indian Parliament delegation at Wagah Border on Tuesday (today).

Senator Mushahid Husain, chairing the APA session after his election by the executive council, said Pakistan had floated the idea of the APA some 10 years ago that bore fruits for the community in Asian part of the globe. Now, he said, Pakistan had given a new vision to develop an Asian Parliament to debate and resolve issues of the region in Asia.

Countries like Indonesia, Iran, Turkey, Palestine, Jordan, Bahrain, Nepal, Azerbaijan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh volunteered to be part of the special committee.

During the executive council meeting, some 19 resolutions prepared by political affairs, economic and environmental affairs, social and cultural affairs, and financial and staff regulations committees were provisionally adopted, while some delegates also suggested some minor amendments. “The proposed amendments will be incorporated in the resolutions and then presented before the plenary session for formal approval on Tuesday (today),” Mr Husain told reporters.

About the prospects of Indian delegation attending the APA, Mr Husain, who is also the chairman of assembly organising committee, said India might join the APA proceedings on Tuesday.

He said the whole of Asia had reposed its confidence in Pakistan by attending the conference. He said Pakistan was playing an important role in creating peace in the region. “India will be isolated, if it does not come to attend the conference. We will wait for Indian delegation at Wagah border till 10.37am,” Mr Husain said.

Mr Husain acknowledged the support of the assembly members for injecting a new life, vigour and will into the APA, adding that ever since Pakistan took over the presidency of the APA, within a year, four major meetings had been held.

“Pakistan is providing leadership with ideas, issues and initiatives and the Asian Parliament,” he added.

Referring to a request from the delegate from Palestine, the APA organizing committee chairman said: “Palestine is dear to the hearts of Pakistanis”.

Former Senate chairman Farooq Naek said the rapidly changing and increasingly interlinked peace, security and development environment called for effective and mutually reinforcing regional and sub-regional partnerships, both flexible and responsive to the complex realities on the ground.

He said the APA, an institutional voice of Asian Century, would be the ultimate pivot towards lending the much-needed balance and poise to the concerted efforts being made. He, however, said Asian integration alongside its envisaged dividends was a process fraught with many intricacies and perquisites.

From garnering sufficient political will to evolving conducive frameworks, policy actions, regulations and mechanisms much like the European Union, Mr Naek stressed the need to take crucial and somewhat difficult decisions besides strengthening partnerships and cooperation.

APA acting secretary-general Dr Masoud Islami explained Assembly’s different committees’ meetings and the draft resolutions drafted by them.

Published in Dawn, December 2nd, 2014