ISLAMABAD: Chairman Senate Syed Nayyer Hussain Bokhari Thursday said that Pakistan is on a journey to become a transparent, peaceful and progressive democratic society.

Speaking Conference of the speakers and presiding officers of the commonwealth in Willington , New Zealand he said numerous initiatives have been taken to improve and ensure the open and transparent systems in Pakistan.

Nayyer Bokhari said that Openness and transparency in parliamentary proceedings, therefore, enable public views, perceptions and interests to reflect better in decision and policy making on issues directly or indirectly affecting their lives.

Referring to Pakistan's Constitution, the Chairman Senate observed the Constitution guarantees openness and transparency in public sector by protecting citizens' right to Information. Inter-parliamentary forums such as this speakers and presiding officers' conference provide an important mechanism to forge international cooperation among governments as well as parliaments, he added.

Nayyer Bokhari observed that the theme of the present session, Openness and Transparency, highlights an irrefutable imperative that lies at the very heart of an all-inclusive participatory parliamentary democracy.

"It is timely to sit together and reflect on the opportunities and challenges of maintaining openness and transparency in the Parliament, the Senate Chairman remarked, adding that in any democracy one of the over-riding principles is that its politician should be accountable for their actions, because openness and transparency is indispensable for the development of the Democracy, Parliament and the Nation as a whole.

He said the 21st century may well be dubbed the age of information and awareness. The `digital revolution' and cutting-edge Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have facilitated, catalyzed and expedited free flow of information, ideas and knowledge exchanged across the globe, says a message received here.

This has, in turn, made citizenry more informed and highly opinionated on the intricate nuances of all domestic, international and parliamentary affairs that concern them one way or the other.

He observed that the digital revolution, enabled by unprecedented developments in Information and Communication technologies, has fundamentally changed the way people think, behave, communicate, and work.

(APP)