April 10; A delegation of 14 members of the National Assembly and the Senate of Pakistan will depart for Washington D.C. to take part in the United States - Pakistan Legislators Dialogue Forum being held in Washington D.C., USA, from April 11-17, 2015.

The fourteen (14) member MPs delegation will join their US counterparts under the Co-Chairmanship of Senator Aitzaz Ahsan, PPPP, Punjab, Leader of the Opposition, Senate of Pakistan and Sardar Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari, MNA, NA-173 (D.G.Khan-III), Punjab, PML-N, Chairman, National Assembly Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs. The Pakistan delegation includes (listed in alphabetical order by first name) Senator Farhatullah Babar, PPPP, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Former Spokesperson of President of Pakistan; Senator Mir Hasil Khan Bizenjo, President, National Party (NP), Balochistan; Ms. Aasiya Nasir, MNA, NA-342 (Non-Muslims-X), Balochistan, JUI-F; Syaid Ghazi Gulab Jamal, MNA, NA-39 (Tribal Area-IV), FATA, Independent; Mr. Muhammad Afzal Khan, MNA, NA-82 (Faisalabad-VII), Punjab, PML-N, Parliamentary Secretary for Finance, Revenue, Economic Affairs, and Statistics & Privatization; Convener, Pakistan-China Parliamentary Friendship Group; Ms. Nafeesa Inayatullah Khan Khattak, MNA, NA-322 (Women, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, PTI; Syed Naveed Qamar, MNA, NA-222 (Hyderabad-V), Sindh, PPPP, Chairman, National Assembly Standing Committee on Railways; Mr. Omar Ayub Khan, MNA, NA-19 (Haripur), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, PML-N, Chairman National Assembly Standing Committee on Finance, Revenue, Economic Affairs, Statistics and Privatization; Mr. Sanjay Perwani, MNA, NA-341 (Non-Muslims-IX), Sindh, MQM; Mr. Shafqat Mahmood, MNA, NA-126 (Lahore-IX), Punjab, PTI; Ms. Shaza Fatima Khawaja, MNA, NA-302 (Women, Punjab), Punjab, PML-N; and Ms. Shazia Marri, MNA, NA-235  (Old Sanghar-II), Sindh, PPPP.

The purpose of the U.S.-Pakistan Legislators Dialogue Forum is to initiate legislators to legislators structured dialogue and improve mutual understanding as both countries re-calibrate the strategic depth and breadth of the relationship during the US drawdown from Afghanistan, and discuss each other’s main concerns and priorities going forward. The Dialogue Forum specifically aims to strengthen legislative ties and form new relationships as a complement and balance to longstanding military and Executive-Ministerial ties. The Dialogue Forum will help broaden the relationship beyond the traditional areas of cooperation such as security and economic cooperation to explore areas such as trade, investment, education, and democratic governance, and enable participating legislators to identify and support business, civil society, and public-private partnerships that benefit their constituencies and their countries.

During the six (6) day Dialogue Forum, the Pakistan Delegation will interact with Members of the US House of Representatives and the Senate. Meetings and interactions on the sidelines include such as with the US-Pakistan Business Council, the U.S. Agency for International Development and the United States Institute for Peace (USIP), among others.

The US-Pakistan Legislators Dialogue Forum is an independent initiative. It is facilitated by the Convergence Centre of Policy Resolution, the Consensus Building Institute in the US and PILDAT in Pakistan with support from the United States Institute of Peace-USIP. Pakistani MPs attended a series of briefings in Islamabad before departure including by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Pakistan and the US Embassy, Islamabad.