Nepal and Pakistan Strengthen Parliamentary Cooperation for Himalayan Challenges

Nepal’s Speaker of the House, Devraj Ghimire, met with a Pakistani parliamentary delegation led by Munaza Hassan in Kathmandu, focusing on strengthening bilateral ties and regional cooperation in the Himalayan region. The meeting took place on the sidelines of the Hindu Kush Himalaya Parliamentarians’ Meet, which brought together representatives from several neighboring countries to address pressing regional challenges.

During the meeting at Singha Durbar, Speaker Ghimire emphasized the importance of collaboration between Nepal and Pakistan, particularly in tackling climate change, sustainable development, and livelihood issues faced by Himalayan communities. He called for a unified approach to address environmental and socio-economic challenges and highlighted the potential for increased trade, connectivity, and tourism. Ghimire noted that deeper parliamentary cooperation could help realize these opportunities and improve conditions in the region.

Munaza Hassan, leading the Pakistani delegation, thanked Nepal for successfully organizing the parliamentary event and praised the country’s leadership in addressing climate change and mountain ecosystem preservation. She stressed the significance of regional collaboration to effectively mitigate environmental challenges.

Pakistan’s Ambassador to Nepal, Abrar H. Hashmi, also attended the meeting. The two-day summit was supported by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) and included delegates from Nepal, India, China, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, and Pakistan. Discussions centered on climate change, biodiversity loss, disaster risk, and environmental degradation, aiming to foster stronger regional policy frameworks and cooperation.