The Pakistan Institute for Parliamentary Services (PIPS) organized a one-day Training Session on the “Principles and Best Practices of Research” for the senior officers of the Election Commission of Pakistan on Monday February 03, 2025, at PIPS  Islamabad. Training Session was attended by around 16 participants including Director General (IT) policy and planning, Additional Director Generals, Director Research and other senior officers of Election Commission of Pakistan. Mr. Tanzil -ur- Rahman, Assistant PRC Officer (Research), moderated the session.

Following the National Anthem of Pakistan, the event commenced with the recitation of the Holy Quran. Mr. Muhammad Rashid Mafzool Zaka, DG (Research) PIPS delivered welcome remarks. He welcomed the senior executives of Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on behalf of the President PIPS BoG /Honourable Chairman Senate of Pakistan, Executive Director and Team PIPS. Mr. Zaka appreciated the eagerness of ECP leadership for learning from services and working of the PIPS Research wing.

The first session, facilitated by Mr. Muhammad Rashid Mafzool Zaka, DG (Research) PIPS, focused on the Topic “Principles of Parliamentary Research and PIPS Research Services”. He apprised the participants of the structure and clusters of the research wing at PIPS, in line with international best practices as prescribed by the Inter Parliamentary Union (IPU). Mr. Zaka also narrated the journey of establishing PIPS from a small setting in 2009 with one researcher to consolidating through securing standards of research as a globally recognized parliamentary think tank and research mechanism in 2024-25 for the legislatures.    

In the second session, Ms. Tehseen Khalid, Director (Research) PIPS, focused on the Topic “Research Products for MPs”. Ms. Tehseen oriented the participants on the research products offered by the research wing of the PIPS to the Members of Parliament, outlining the key differences in research formats, structures, and purposes. Ms Tehseen comprehensively shared standardized templates developed by PIPS as indigenous models now followed in supporting technically and professionally to individual MPs and committees. 

In the third session, Mr. Qaiser Iqbal, Librarian, PIPS, focused on the Topic “PIPS Library Services”. He explained the Library services of PIPS, collection of library catalogs, its effective collaboration with other libraries and the resources available for the MPs, and the researchers.    

 The participants actively engaged in the sessions through questions and sharing experiences. The event concluded with vote of thanks from the Head of the delegation of ECP, Ms Nighat Saddique, Additional Director General (GSI). She acknowledged that such capacity building Training Sessions, including PIPS expertise in the field of research will be most helpful in developing the long awaited aspirations of creating a dedicated research wing in the Election Commission of Pakistan.  The Training Session ended with presentation of souvenir by Executive Director PIPS, Mr. Asim Khan Goraya to Head of delegation of ECP and a group photo.