Amman, Sept. 29 (Petra) – The Lower House Foreign Affairs Committee
and Pakistan’s Ambassador Khurram Sarfraz Khan discussed Tuesday ways
to expand cooperation in trade, education, tourism, and parliamentary
relations.

Addressing the meeting, Committee Chairman MP Haitham Ziadin said
Jordan and Pakistan should intensify parliamentary contacts and
reciprocal visits, including closer coordination between the two
countries’ foreign affairs committees.

He also called for higher trade volumes, broader economic
cooperation, increased scholarships and student exchanges, and
greater tourism flows between the two countries.

Ziadin said His Majesty King Abdullah II’s visit to Pakistan last
November marked an “important” stage in bilateral relations,
stressing the role of parliamentary diplomacy in expanding
cooperation.

Committee member MP Huda Naffa highlighted the need for continued
Jordanian-Pakistani coordination on issues of common concern in
international and parliamentary forums.

Referring to the King’s address to the United Nations General
Assembly, she cited concerns over Israeli expansion affecting water
resources, settlement construction, displacement policies, and their
implications for regional and national security.

MP Iman Abbasi reaffirmed Jordan’s support for the Palestinian
people’s right to self-determination and an independent state and
rejected the genocide and displacement in the Gaza Strip.

She also called for stronger regional and international efforts to
reduce escalation and said Pakistan’s relations with countries
including China, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey could contribute to efforts
aimed at addressing regional crises.

On education, Abbasi called for expanding academic and cultural
exchange programs between Jordan and Pakistan.

Khan said bilateral relations include military, diplomatic,
political, educational, and people-to-people cooperation, noting that
a number of Jordanians, including doctors and engineers, have studied
in Pakistan.

Urging stronger economic, trade, and industrial cooperation, he cited
the joint ministerial committee meeting in Islamabad and efforts to
establish a joint chamber of industry and commerce.

Khan said the two countries should move toward more
“institutionalized and sustainable” cooperation through reciprocal
visits, student exchanges, joint committees, and clearer mechanisms
for documenting and maintaining bilateral initiatives.

He expressed his appreciation for the role of His Majesty King
Abdullah II in addressing regional developments and for his
commitment to exercising restraint and preserving the Kingdom’s
security and stability, emphasizing the importance of continuing to
build upon the strong ties uniting the two countries and peoples.

//Petra// AO