Georgia 2023-2024 Regular Session

Georgia House Bill HR446 Latest Draft

Bill / Introduced Version Filed 03/08/2023

                            23 LC 126 0211
H. R. 446
- 1 -
House Resolution 446
By: Representatives Mughal of the 105
th
, Stephens of the 164
th
, Cheokas of the 151
st
,
Anulewicz of the 42
nd
, Stoner of the 40
th
, and others 
A RESOLUTION
Honoring the Province of Sindh's status as a sister state with Georgia; and for other purposes.
1
WHEREAS, Sindh was the site of one of the cradle of civilizations, the Bronze Age Indus2
Valley civilization, which flourished from about 3000 BCE.  Sindh is home to two3
UNESCO-designated World Heritage Sites: the Makli Necropolis and Mohenjo-daro; and4
WHEREAS, the economy of Sindh is the second-largest in Pakistan; its provincial capital5
of Karachi is the most populous city in the country as well as its main financial hub; and6
WHEREAS, Sindh is home to a large portion of Pakistan's industrial sector and contains two7
of the country's busiest commercial seaports: Port Qasim and the Port of Karachi.  The8
remainder of Sindh consists of an agriculture-based economy and produces fruits, consumer9
items, and vegetables for other parts of the country, similar to the State of Georgia; and10
WHEREAS, much of Sindh's economy is influenced by the economy of Karachi, the largest11
city and economic capital of the country.  Historically, Sindh's contribution to Pakistan's12
GDP has been between 30 percent to 32.7 percent; and13 23 LC 126 0211
H. R. 446
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WHEREAS the Province of Sindh is endowed with coastal access and is a major center of
14
economic activity in Pakistan with a highly diversified economy ranging from heavy industry15
and finance centered in and around Karachi to a substantial agricultural base along the Indus.16
Manufacturing includes machine products, cement, plastics, and various other goods; and17
WHEREAS, agriculture plays an important role in Sindh with cotton, rice, wheat, sugar cane,18
bananas, and mangoes as the most important crops.  The largest and finer quality of rice is19
produced in the Larkano district; and20
WHEREAS, Sindh is the richest province in natural resources of gas, petrol, and coal; and21
WHEREAS, Georgia is home to the Honorable Farooq Mughal, the first Pakistan-American22
and Sindhi-American elected to the Georgia House of Representatives; and23
WHEREAS, a sister-state relationship between the State of Georgia and the Province of24
Sindh would promote mutual trade and commerce and increase the potential for educational,25
environmental, and cultural relations between the Province of Sindh and the State of Georgia;26
and27
WHEREAS, the legislature of the State of Georgia, on behalf of the people of Georgia,28
extends to the people of the Province of Sindh an invitation to join with Georgia in a29
sister-state relationship until December 31, 2026, in order to encourage and facilitate30
mutually beneficial economic, educational, environmental, and cultural exchanges and to31
lead to a more indelible and lasting relationship between Georgians and the people of the32
Province of Sindh.33 23 LC 126 0211
H. R. 446
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NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that
34
any sister state agreement developed will identify objectives, areas of mutual interest, a list35
of potential activities, and an initial list of public and private partners that will help to36
advance the purposes of the sister state agreement, including one or more entities that will37
serve as facilitators and general points of contact.38
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized39
and directed to make appropriate copies of this resolution available for distribution to the40
Governor of Georgia, State Representative Farooq Mughal, the Governor of Sindh, the41
Legislature of Sindh, and the representatives from Georgia in the United States Congress.42