Karachi Welcomes Asian and South-East Asian Legislators
KARACHI: International delegations have begun arriving in Karachi to participate in the 7th Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) Asia Region Conference and the 2nd Joint CPA Asia and South-East Asia Regional Parliamentary Conference, scheduled to be held from February 3 to 7.
On Monday, a delegation from the Terengganu State Legislative Assembly arrived in the city. 
The conference will be hosted by the Provincial Assembly of Sindh and is being organised under the theme “Parliaments of the Future: Redefining Democracy through Trust, Inclusion, Innovation and Peace.”
Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, will attend the inaugural session as Chief Guest and formally inaugurate the conference. Speaker of the Provincial Assembly of Sindh, Syed Awais Qadir Shah, will deliver the welcome address, while CPA Chairperson Honourable Dr Christopher Kalila, MP, will present the keynote address. Senior Minister Sindh Sharjeel Inam Memon will also speak at the opening session.
More than 150 parliamentarians, including Speakers, Deputy Speakers, and parliamentary experts from 17 legislative assemblies across Asia and South-East Asia, are expected to participate.
The conference will feature plenary and breakout sessions on a wide range of contemporary issues, including peace and democratic trust, parliamentary education, fake news, artificial intelligence and disinformation, climate change and environmental legislation, parliamentary accountability, gender issues, technology, and online harassment.
During the plenary session on peace and democratic trust, Speakers and Deputy Speakers from Sri Lanka, Maldives, Malaysia, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Azad Jammu and Kashmir will share their perspectives. Former Chairman Senate, Senator Raza Rabbani, will also address this session.
A special session on climate change, set against the backdrop of Pakistan’s devastating floods of 2022, will focus on climate resilience, disaster response, protection of vulnerable communities, and the role of parliaments. The session will be moderated by Senator Sherry Rehman.
Another plenary session will focus on technology-related challenges, including online and digital harassment faced by women parliamentarians, deepfakes, and emerging digital threats.
At the closing session, CPA Secretary General Stephen Twigg will deliver a key address, while Chief Minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah will attend as Chief Guest. The conference will conclude with the adoption of the Karachi Charter.
