British High Commission hosts roundtable on international day of democracy

Islamabad: The British High Commission hosted a roundtable discussion to demonstrate the UK’s support for democracy in Pakistan, and to mark the International Day of Democracy on 15 September.

The event, chaired by the British High Commission’s Political Counsellor, Iona Thomas, brought together a range of experts from civil society, legal community and academia.

The United Kingdom holds democratic values in the highest regard. Democracy as a system of governance allows for individual freedom and is the fairest way to govern human societies and states.

The list of those attending were: Harris Khalique – Secretary General, Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, Oves Anwar – Director Research Society of International Law, Sadaf Khan – Co-Founder and Director, Media Matters for Democracy and Imaan Mazari – Lawyer and academic at Quaid-e-Azam University.

Political Counsellor Iona Thomas, said: “The themes of democracy and human rights are central to the newly constituted Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), harnessing the best of what were formerly FCO and DFID to be a force for good in the world. We are committed to supporting democracy and human rights in Pakistan – a country with immense potential, and one of the world’s biggest democracies. A vibrant civil society and strong democratic institutions are vital to these ideals, and we want to be a supportive friend to Pakistan in securing these through our development and diplomatic work.”