ICAPP elects Mushahid as Co-Chairman.

ISTANBUL -- The International Conference of Asian Political Parties (ICAPP), Asia's oldest and largest organization of political parties, unanimously elected Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed as the ICAPP Co-Chairman at its biennial conference here in the historic Turkish city, with 200 representatives and leaders of 70 political parties from 33 countries participating.

Senator Mushahid's name for Co-Chairman was proposed by Thailand and Iran, and supported by China, Cambodia, Russia, Lebanon, Turkiye, and Indonesia, before being put to a vote, a news release here received said.

Former Foreign Minister of South Korea, Chung Euiyong, was re-elected Chairman of ICAPP.

The ICAPP Conference held once every two years, also issued the 'Istanbul Declaration' which expressed solidarity with victims of the 'recent devastating floods in Pakistan of epic proportions and urged 'alleviating hardships of people through climate finance and climate justice'.

Senator Mushahid Hussain thanked the participants for reposing confidence in him and termed his election as a 'humbling experience for me personally and a great honour for Pakistan' to be so recognized at an important global forum, which represents the public opinion and political parties of the world's largest continent, Asia.

Mushahid Hussain termed the current epoch as a historic transformation for Asia as the 'balance of economic and political power is shifting from West to East' marking the 'dawn of the 'Asian Century', which he noted the great visionary Poet of the East, Dr. Allama Iqbal, had predicted 90 years back, when he wrote: 'see, the Sun rising in the East'! He said 'ICAPP is a continuation of the Bandung Spirit, which started in 1955 with the first Afro-Asian Summit hosted by the great Indonesian leader, Dr. Soekarno, at the Indonesian city of Bandung'. Senator Mushahid Hussain said the 'time has come that Asian hands must shape Asian destiny and the future of Asia'.

He recounted his early exposure to Asia when he was a student studying at a school in Jakarta while his father served as Pakistan's first Defence Attache to Indonesia, and later his travels to China, Vietnam, Korea, Cambodia, and other Asian countries.

Mushahid also referred to...

To continue reading

Request your trial

VLEX uses login cookies to provide you with a better browsing experience. If you click on 'Accept' or continue browsing this site we consider that you accept our cookie policy. ACCEPT