Uganda and Pakistan Vow to Strengthen Parliamentary Ties

Speaker of Parliament Jacob Marksons Oboth has signaled Uganda’s commitment to strengthening its relationship with Pakistan. During a bilateral meeting with the Speaker of Pakistan’s National Assembly, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Oboth stated that Uganda is actively seeking to build robust ties with select countries, naming Pakistan as a significant partner.

The discussions, held on the sidelines of the 69th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in South Africa, focused on moving beyond symbolic gestures to create tangible opportunities for citizens in both nations. Key areas identified for collaboration include trade, economic diplomacy, capacity building, research, climate change initiatives, and educational exchanges.

Speaker Oboth emphasized the crucial role of legislative bodies in driving national and economic development. He highlighted the existing presence of the Pakistani community in Uganda as a strong foundation for deepening engagement and expressed Uganda’s readiness to foster this relationship for mutual benefit. He also offered to share experiences in capacity building, education, research, and information sharing.

Both leaders acknowledged shared global challenges, particularly climate change. Oboth commended Pakistan’s international efforts in this domain, while Speaker Sadiq detailed Pakistan’s innovative approaches, such as implementing paperless systems in its parliament and schools, and expressed a desire to cooperate with Uganda on climate action.

The meetings also recalled past cooperative efforts within the Commonwealth framework, including Uganda’s support for Speaker Sadiq’s election as President of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association in 2014. Speaker Sadiq, in turn, recognized Uganda’s influence in securing African support for his candidacy. He also noted Pakistan’s foreign policy focus on Africa and proposed the development of Memorandums of Understanding to formalize cooperation.

Speaker Sadiq extended an invitation to Speaker Oboth to visit Pakistan for direct engagement with the Parliament and government officials. Oboth was accompanied by several Ugandan Members of Parliament and Uganda’s High Commissioner to South Africa.

Source: Parliament of Uganda