Pakistan Institute for Parliamentary Services organized a two day Orientation Programme for the first batch of Interns of the National Assembly Secretariat from 2nd to 3rd August 2023 at PIPS Campus, Islamabad. The Programme was attended by 110 interns of the National Assembly Secretariat. The purpose of programme was to acquaint the young interns with rudimentary knowledge of the Constitution of Pakistan and its framework, working of the Parliament as well as understanding the significance of Law making, Democracy and role of a Parliamentarian.
The Programme commenced with the recitation of the Holy Quran followed by Programme overview by Ms. Samer Awais, Director General (PDP& C), PIPS. The first session of the Programme was facilitated by Mr. Muhammad Rashid Mafzool Zaka (D. G. Research) PIPS on the working of the Parliament. This was followed by a session on the Constitution of Pakistan facilitated by Parliamentary Expert, Mr. Zafarullah Khan. The Constitution was further discussed at length by Democracy and Governance Expert, Mr. Ali Imran. The interns were apprised on Significance of Law making by Ms. Naveen Erum, Assistant Director (Legislative Drafting Council), National Assembly Secretariat. Day one of the training concluded with an overview on rules of procedure and use of oversight tools for effective governance succinctly explained by Mr. Muhammad Afzal Soomro Deputy Secretary (Legislation), National Assembly Secretariat.
Day two of the training commenced with an interactive session on the topic “A day in the Life of a Legislator”. Guest speaker, Honourable Senator Ayesha Raza Farooq highlighted the challenges, role and responsibilities’ a Parliamentarian deal with in their day to day working. Ms. Mahira Rafique, Deputy Director PMU, National Assembly Secretariat, facilitated a session on the significance of Parliamentary Research and the research products that are used in the Parliament. Whereas, Mr. Danish Bhutto Deputy Director PMU, National Assembly Secretariat, discussed the parliamentary etiquette and workplace communication during his session. Director Training & Capacity Development, Election Commission of Pakistan. Mr. Sajid Ali shed light upon the significance of democracy and elections.
Director General PDP, Ms. Samer Awais concluded the Orientation programme with farewell remarks, motivating the young interns to keep working hard towards building a prosperous future for the country.