LAHORE: Punjab’s Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, touched down in Baku via a charter flight on Saturday and immediately found herself amid the three most significant days of her career. The Maryam Nawaz Azerbaijan trip will see Pakistan’s largest province making a debut at an international level as its housing aspirations and urban development saga come under the spotlight for foreign audiences.
An Important Meeting Between President Aliyev
The Importance of a Meeting Between Both Leaders
It is on May 17th that Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz finds herself seated face-to-face with President Aliyev of Azerbaijan – an important meeting, unlike other photo opportunities with other leaders. This is due to the fact that the country of Azerbaijan holds a special geopolitical position between Europe and Asia.
For Punjab, the Maryam Nawaz trip to Azerbaijan and the meeting with Aliyev provide the prospect of a chance for both to explore true bilateral cooperation in those spheres which offer them a common interest, namely the construction of urban infrastructure, housing projects, and programs for diversification of the economy.
Such dialogues are important. It is only through such dialogues that the necessary base will be created for practical cooperation, including investment links, technology transfers, exchange of information, which may bear fruit for the people of Pakistan.
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Baku Olympic Stadium – A Venue Unlike Any Other
Not many international venues boast the caliber of audience and political impact that the World Urban Forum does. The guests come from more than 160 nations – urban planners, development economists, housing specialists, cabinet ministers, and city mayors responsible for deciding the lives of billions living in the fast-growing cities of the world.
Maryam Nawaz, the Chief Minister of Punjab, speaks to her audience in Baku Olympic Stadium during the Maryam Nawaz Azerbaijan visit, when the international spotlight on Punjab’s urban development story becomes inevitable – something that does not happen much with the internal successes of a government’s policies. Speaking at the World Urban Forum does not make things merely formalistic. Instead, it provides access to people who can unlock doors and share best practices.
Programme Worthy of Global Attention
The key point that emerges from the Maryam Nawaz Azerbaijan visit is that there exists a housing programme in Pakistan which deserves global attention. The Apni Chhat, Apna Ghar campaign, meaning My Roof, My Home, addresses one of the most fundamental issues facing the nation today, which is that of millions of people who desire to have a roof over their head but lack the means to do so.
With her involvement in the World Urban Forum along with Apni Chhat, Apna Ghar, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz makes Punjab an expert amongst other countries, not a student.”
Over-Performing Provincial Diplomacy
One thing that some Pakistani officials tend to overlook is the capacity of provincial authorities to exert national soft power through provincial diplomacy, which may complement, yet never duplicate, that of the federal government.
Whenever the Punjab Chief Minister engages with 160 nations in the World Urban Forum, she introduces the story of Pakistan’s development to those who otherwise would never have been reached via the conventional diplomacy of the federation government. When she holds bilateral meetings with sitting presidents, she makes contacts which lead to partnerships later on.
However, the Maryam Nawaz trip to Azerbaijan provides another level of human connectivity where both countries’ governments face the challenge of providing homes to their urban inhabitants.
