In a feedback session upon conclusion of the Study Visit, participants believed the visit helped them understand new perspectives of politics & democracy looking at the models in both UK and Denmark. They also believed that Denmark has one of the best social welfare and tax systems in the world which offers good practices for Pakistan to consider.
The Study Visit that spanned from February 23-27, 2015 and included 1 day in London and 4 days in Copenhagen, led participants to share that their interactions with different strata of society - from school children in Copenhagen to MPs of Danish Parliament, led to an understanding on how Danish people value a sustainable democracy in Denmark.
The Study Visit was aimed as a learning exercise on the systems of politics, democracy, accountability and the participation of young people in sustaining democracy in UK and Denmark. The 12 member delegation comprising two Members of the National Assembly of Pakistan and six members of Youth Parliament Pakistan visited British and Danish Parliaments, interacted with MPs and engaged with institutes such as the Danish Institute of Parties and Democracy (DIPD) and the Danish Youth Council (DYF), among others.
The main themes of the Study visit in London, UK, included overview of the British political system, Select Committee Systems in the British Parliament and interaction with the Head of All-Party Parliamentary Group on Pakistan, Mr. Andrew Stephenson, MP (Conservative). The four-day programme in Copenhagen, Denmark, included meetings with Danish MPs and experts covering subjects such as introduction to Danish Democracy, Danish Parliament: National Decision and Policy Making; Danish Multi-culturism and Youth Participation; and Local Governance and Local Democracy.
During this Study Visit, the Delegation held candid discussions with representative of Danish Media and Parliamentary Committee Officials on the issue of freedom of speech in the light of the recent attacks in Copenhagen. Both sides emphasised that the distinction between hate speech and free speech has to be made to ensure the peaceful co-existence of different groups on both sides.
The Pakistan Delegation on the Study Visit to London and Copenhagen included: Honourable Syed Naveed Qamar, MNA (NA-222, Hyderabad, Sindh, PPPP), Chairman National Assembly Standing Committee on Railways, Honourable Mr. Omar Ayub Khan, MNA (NA-19, Haripur, KP, PML-N), Chairman National Assembly Standing Committee on Finance, Revenue, Mr. Aqeel Ahmed Yousafzai, Youth Prime Minister, Mr. Muhammad Shahzar Ilahi, Youth Leader of Opposition, Mr. Sohaib Saeed, Chairperson Youth Parliament Committee on Economic and Finance Affairs, Mr. Ali Shan Khan, Youth Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs, Syeda Mizghan Mehboob Kirmani, Chairperson Youth Parliament Standing Committee on Education & Youth Affairs and Ms. Rahy Farooq, Member Youth Parliament Standing Committee on Education & Youth Affairs.
The Study Visit to London & Denmark has been funded by DANIDA, the Royal Danish Embassy, Islamabad and has been organized by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) in London and the DANIDAFellowship Centre (DFC) in Copenhagen respectively.
