The Hindu : National : Rousing welcome for Pakistan team in Parliament

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Dec 21, 2004

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National

Rousing welcome for Pakistan team in Parliament

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, DEC. 20. Parliament today greeted with thumping of desks a visiting Pakistani parliamentary delegation which visited both the Houses and watched the proceedings. In Lok Sabha, the Speaker, Somnath Chatterjee, welcomed the Pakistan National Assembly delegation, led by the Speaker, Amir Hussain. He wished the delegation members a happy stay in India and fruitful interaction with their Indian counterparts.

Proceedings in the Rajya Sabha livened up after the Deputy Chairman, K. Rahman Khan, welcomed the delegation during Question Hour and expressed the hope that the visit would further strengthen the Indo-Pakistan bilateral relations.

Members who were seeking replies from the Commerce Minister, Kamal Nath, on Indo-Pakistan trade relations, began interspersing their supplementaries with poetry prompting the Deputy Chairman to conclude the session by ruling that there be "no sher-shairi."

`Roadblocks'

Mr. Kamal Nath said during the SAARC meeting of Commerce Ministers, India and Pakistan had agreed to set up a Joint Study Group which would give a road map for economic cooperation on trade, services and infrastructure between the two countries. He pointed out that Pakistan was "creating roadblocks" and had not yet agreed to give India the Most Favoured Nation status.

Sushma Swaraj (Bharatiya Janata Party) sought to know whether Pakistan had not granted the MFN status to India because translated into Urdu, MFN meant "Sabse Pasandida Mulk" (my favourite country).

Shahid Siddiqui (Samajwadi Party) asked the Minister how long India would wait while Indian goods continued to be exported to Pakistan through informal routes via third countries such as Dubai. There were smiles on the faces of the Pakistan Parliamentarians when he said: "Na nau man tel hoga, na radha nachegi (When there is no will, there is no way)."

M.S. Gill (Congress) said: "Humne mana tagaful na karoge, lekin khakh ho jayenge, teri zulf sar hone tak." (Roughly translated the Mirza Ghalib couplet meant for a beloved means: "I do agree you won't delay, but I will die by the time you arrive.")

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