On the invitation of Senate Chairman Muhammad Sadiq Sanjrani, Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) President Gabriela Cuevas Barron arrived in Pakistan on Sunday.
The purpose of the visit is to strengthen ties between the Senate of Pakistan and the IPU.
Senator Mirza Afridi and Member National Assembly (MNA) Sher Ali Arbab received Cuevas at the Islamabad airport.
Terming the visit important, Senator Mirza Afridi was hopeful that it would pave new avenues for institutional cooperation.
The senator said that Pakistan attaches great importance to parliamentary diplomacy for peace and development and for social and economic prosperity.
This is the first high profile visit by an IPU president, and is being seen as important for parliamentary and diplomatic development. The visit will help promote the country’s soft image at an international level.
Earlier, on July 10, Sanjrani said he would contest elections for the post of the president for the IPU.
Sanjrani was nominated by National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser.
A spokesperson for the Senate said that 179 countries are members of the union, whereas elections for IPU president would be held in December.
“For the first time in the history of the country, Sanjrani will be contesting the IPU presidential elections,” the spokesperson stated.
The spokesman quoted parliamentarians saying that “Sanjarani’s IPU presidential election will further enhance the prestige of parliament”.
Tribune