Over 150 parliamentarians, including speakers, deputies and experts from 17 regional assemblies, are set to converge in a landmark forum shaping cross-border legislative dialogue
By Shaheen Hashim
KARACHI: A meeting of the CPA Asia Regional Executive Committee was held at the Sindh Assembly in connection with the 7th CPA Asia Regional Conference and the 2nd Joint CPA Asia and South-East Asia Regional Conference.
Under the leadership of Sindh Assembly Speaker Syed Awais Qadir Shah, the Sindh Assembly is hosting the 7th CPA Asia Regional Conference and the 2nd Joint CPA Asia and South-East Asia Regional Conference from today until 7 February 2026. More than 150 parliamentarians are expected to attend, including speakers, deputy speakers and parliamentary experts from 17 legislative assemblies across the region.
The session was jointly chaired by the Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, and the Speaker of the Sindh Assembly, Syed Awais Qadir Shah. The chairperson of the CPA Executive Committee and Zambian member of parliament, Dr Christopher Kalila, arrived in Karachi ahead of the meeting.
Dr Christopher Kalila was accompanied by CPA Secretary General Stephen Twigg from the organization’s London headquarters and CPA communications and office administrator Melanie Denquah. On their arrival at Jinnah International Airport, the delegation was received by MPA Saima Agha, who presented bouquets.
The conference is being held under the theme “Future Parliaments: Rebuilding Democracy through Trust, Inclusion, Innovation, and Peace”. Discussions will focus on parliamentary education, misinformation and fake news, climate change, accountability, gender issues, technology and regional cooperation.
The executive committee meeting was attended by Dr Christopher Kalila as chairperson. Speaker of the National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq participated as head of the CPA delegation. Syed Naveed Qamar, a member of the National Assembly and CPA Executive Committee member, was also present, along with Shamoon Ashraf Hashmi, special secretary of CPA Asia.
From Pakistan, the Speaker of the Punjab Assembly, Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan, took part alongside speakers and representatives from the assemblies of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and Gilgit-Baltistan. International participants included speakers, deputy speakers and parliamentary representatives from Sri Lanka, the Maldives and Malaysia.
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