H.E Abdul Rouf Ibrahimi, Honourable Speaker of Wolesi Jirga (National Assembly) of Afghanistan visited PIPS on Feb 25 from 1215 noon to 0135 pm along with 7 member parliamentary delegation of their Members and Secretariat leadership of Parliament.

 The delegation was greeted by the Acting Executive Director/Director Research and IT, PIPS Mr Muhammad Rashid Mafzool Zaka, who introduced Institute’s team followed by an absorbing and interactive presentation on activities and accomplishments of PIPS in offering legislative, research, capacity building and public outreach to around 1174 MPs and over 5,000 functionaries across Pakistan.

His Excellency and the Afghan Delegation took special interest in the programmes offered at PIPS and the ED, PIPS, offered brotherly cooperation in extending PIPS capacity building initiatives to the Afghanistan MPs and especially through joint programmes with the Afghan Parliamentary Institute. On behalf of President PIPS BoG Honourable Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, a flower bouquet and set of PIPS publication was also presented to H.E Abdul Rouf Ibrahimi, who expressed his desire to hold capacity building activities for Afghan Members of Parliament by and at PIPS.

The delegation expressed their delight to see PIPS working and were of the opinion that PIPS is undoubtedly a centre of excellence in undertaking around 350 researches, over 21 drafted bills as well as innumerable orientations, two to three day workshops and long courses training hundreds of MPs, functionaries, journalists and members of civil society.

Honourable Speaker Abdul Rouf Ibrahimi in his presiding address thanked the Executive Director on the impressive presentation, PIPS’ great success in introducing parliamentary and Constitutional studies to 17 universities as well as unmatched hospitality offered to the delegation. He also acknowledged PIPS team’s untiring zeal and key accomplishments in short span of time from 2012 to 2016 in the visitor’s book while the Afghan delegation termed their visit to PIPS as momentous expressing the hope that it ll only be start of many to follow in future for capacity building of their Parliament. Mr Zaka presented Vote of thanks and PIPS Momento to the Honourable Speaker of Afghan Wolesi Jirga (National Assembly) on behalf of PIPS team as well as parliamentary leadership of Pakistan.