Ex-APA president urges Asian governments to take action against sectarian divide

Former Head of the Asian Parliamentary Assembly (APA) Gholam Ali Haddad Adel called on the Asian governments to help prevent the spread of sectarian violence throughout the continent. “The capacity of Asian parliaments should be used to prevent sectarian violence,” Haddad Adel, a senior member of the Iranian parliament, said, addressing the Sixth Annual APA Meeting in Islamabad, Pakistan, on Monday. He pointed to the effective role of parliaments, and said, “I propose this meeting use its huge capacity to become a pioneer in preventing sectarian and ethnic clashes in Asia and to harness the clout and intervention practiced by the aliens to spread warmongering and hatred …” Pakistan is hosting the three-day Asian Parliamentary Assembly which kicked off in Islamabad on Sunday. Some 200 delegates including speakers‚ vice-speakers and parliamentarians of the member countries‚ are present at the meeting. The session is being hosted by the Senate of Pakistan. Theme of the session is Asian Century: Cooperation in Economy‚ Energy and Environment.