The inaugural briefing of the Pakistan–Ireland Parliamentary Friendship Group took place at Parliament House in Islamabad, chaired remotely by Munaza Hassan, MNA. Lawmakers reviewed the current state of bilateral ties and outlined plans to deepen parliamentary cooperation, expand people-to-people links, and pursue practical areas of collaboration across trade, education, culture, agriculture and climate resilience.
The session was convened by Munaza Hassan in her capacity as convener of the Friendship Group. Members in attendance included Nuzhat Sadiq, Zahra Wadood Fatemi, Barrister Danyal Chaudhary, Asia Naz Tanoli, Seher Kamran and Huma Akhtar Chughtai. The group discussed mechanisms to formalize regular inter-parliamentary engagement with their Irish counterparts.
Pakistan’s Ambassador to Ireland, Aisha Farooqui, provided an overview of the bilateral relationship, summarizing ongoing engagements and identifying opportunities for expanded cooperation. Her briefing formed the basis for the group’s discussion on priority areas for joint work.
Munaza Hassan stressed the need to institutionalize parliamentary ties and proposed arranging a virtual meeting with the counterpart Parliamentary Friendship Group in the Irish Parliament. She argued that structured, sustained interaction would strengthen parliamentary diplomacy and produce result-oriented outcomes.
Members highlighted the significant role of the Pakistani diaspora in Ireland and called for greater facilitation and platforms to harness their contributions to bilateral relations. They also emphasized expanding academic linkages through university partnerships and research collaboration, and boosting cooperation in culture, sports, agriculture and education.
The group noted the election of Ammar Ali as the first Pakistani councillor in Ireland, citing it as an example of the community’s positive contributions abroad. Participants said such milestones reinforce the value of deeper engagement and people-to-people connectivity.
Concluding the briefing, members affirmed that enhanced engagement with the Irish parliamentary group—coupled with initiatives in trade, education, culture, climate and environmental resilience, agriculture and diaspora support—would establish a stronger foundation for a long-term partnership between Pakistan and Ireland.
