The Hindu : Pak. not invited to global meet

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jan 22, 2003

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Pak. not invited to global meet

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI JAN. 21. India has not invited Pakistan to a three-day international conference to mark the golden jubilee of Parliament beginning here tomorrow.

Over 170 delegates from 85 countries are expected to participate in the event focussing on the threat to democracy and civilisation from terrorism. It would discuss how parliamentarians can play a role in building a consensus against terrorists and their collaborators and in lending their support in rooting it out, the Lok Sabha Speaker, Manohar Joshi, said here today.

Mr. Joshi said India did not invite Pakistan since it was not a member of either the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association or the Inter Parliamentary Union. Barring Pakistan, almost all the members of SAARC countries — Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Nepal and Bhutan have been invited.

After inaugural speeches by the President, the Vice President, the Prime Minister and the Speaker, the Deupty Chairman of the Planning Commission, K.C. Pant will speak on the theme of terrorism.

The Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Sonia Gandhi, will speak on `parliamentary practices and procedures', on the second day while the Deputy Chairperson of the Rajya Sabha, Najma Heptulla, will initiate a discussion on `Parliament as a vehicle of social change' in the penultimate session.

The Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Pramod Mahajan, will speak on `parliament in the era of globalisation and liberalisation'.

Mr. Joshi said he hoped that the conference would afford an opportunity to exchange views on a host of issues of topical relevance as well as listen to diverse experiences on the same.

``Such interaction will help to further consolidate democracy all over the world so that forces that are trying to destroy the foundations of open society are isolated and eliminated,'' he said.

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