Key Takeaways
- Chairman Senate Yousaf Raza Gilani leaves for Belarus on an official visit.
- A three-month ban on foreign travel is in place, with exceptions.
- The visit aims to strengthen parliamentary cooperation between Pakistan and Belarus.
Chairman Senate Yousaf Raza Gilani has embarked on an official visit to Belarus, despite a three-month ban on foreign travel for the Senate Secretariat, subject to specified exceptions. The visit, which began on Wednesday, is aimed at enhancing bilateral relations and parliamentary cooperation between the two countries.
The visit to Belarus is at the invitation of Natalya Kochanova, the Chairperson of the Council of Belarus, and is part of a broader effort to strengthen ties in various domains, including political, parliamentary, economic, and people-to-people interactions.
Accompanying Gilani on the visit are senators Dostain Domki, Umer Farooq, Mohsin Aziz, Shahzaib Durrani, and Amir Chishti. The Senate Secretariat has announced a comprehensive package of fuel conservation and austerity measures to reduce expenditure and promote efficient use of public resources.
Key measures include a complete ban on foreign visits for three months, with exceptions, and a reduction in fuel provision for official vehicles by 50 percent. The purchase of all types of vehicles has been completely banned, and a five percent reduction in the non-ERE budget will be implemented monthly.
The Senate Secretariat also plans to prioritize teleconferencing for meetings, except for intra-city meetings, and will limit the number of meetings to the bare minimum. Government-funded seminars, trainings, and conferences have been prohibited under the new measures.
During the visit, Gilani is scheduled to hold meetings with the president of Belarus, the leadership of the Belarusian Parliament, and other senior officials. The discussions will cover matters related to bilateral relations, parliamentary exchanges, and regional and international developments.
The chairman is expected to emphasize the importance of regular parliamentary exchanges, institutional linkages between the two parliaments, and greater interaction among parliamentarians and parliamentary committees.
The visit is seen as a significant step in the growing momentum of Pakistan-Belarus relations, reflecting the shared desire to expand cooperation in various sectors.
