The Pakistan Institute for Parliamentary Services (PIPS), in collaboration with the Mustehkam Parliamaan (MuP) – a project funded by the European Union, organised a three-day workshop on House & Committee Business for the Honourable Members and Officers of the Provincial Assembly of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from 18th to 20th September at the PIPS campus, Islamabad. The aim of the workshop was to equip participants with the essential knowledge and skills necessary to enhance their effectiveness in parliamentary roles, particularly in managing and conducting House and Committee business.
Day 01: Wednesday, the 18th September 2024
The workshop commenced with the recitation of verses from the Holy Quran, setting a solemn and respectful tone for the event. Ms. Mariam Ahsan, Deputy Director (PDP) at PIPS, moderated the event, after warmly welcoming all the distinguished guests she gave a programme overview and then invited Dr. Syed Pervaiz Abbas, Deputy Team Lead of Mustehkam Parlimaan (MuP) to deliver the opening remarks. Subsequently, Mr. Muhammad Rashid Mafzool Zaka, Executive Director – PIPS, was invited to formally welcome the Honourable Members and officers to a three-day workshop. After a quick round of introductions of the participants, Mr. Zafarullah Khan was invited on the stage to provide an overview of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the Spirit of Federalism.
Mr. Khan concisely compared the constitutions of Western, Asian, and Muslim countries in the context of the 1973 Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. He apprised the participants on the Constitution developments of 1956, 1962 and 1973.
Afterwards, Ms. Rabeea Anwar, Joint Secretary, Senate Secretariat, gave a presentation on Legislative Process: From Bill to an Act. She primarily described the functions of parliament as: Legislation, Representation, Policy Guidance and Accountability / Oversight of the Executive. S+he delved deep into various categories of Bills and elucidated the stages of drafting a bill till its assent by the President or Governor.
Later, the Honourable Members of KP Assembly visited National Assembly of Pakistan where Mr. Muhammad Mushtaq, Special Secretary, National Assembly Secretariat, apprised the participants on the insights of non-legislative business and effective scrutiny. Mr. Mushtaq, debated on various parliamentary tools available in Rules of Procedure of federal and provincial parliaments that play a paramount role in effective scrutiny of government. During his session, Honourable Speaker, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, graced the occasion with his presence and warmly greeted the participants. He discussed various initiatives taken during his tenure as a measure to strengthen the legislature. He recognized the efforts of PIPS in educating the parliamentarians through organizing various programmes. The day concluded with the vote of thanks by the Executive Director, PIPS.
Day 02: Thursday, the 19th September 2024
Mr. Iftikharullah Babar, former Secretary Senate, enlightened the audience on the significance, powers and effectiveness of Committees. He primarily debated the need for constituting the Committees stating that committees are the eyes and ears of the Parliament. Moreover, he shed light on different types of committees and elucidated their functions.
Subsequently, an interactive dialogue with a panel comprising Honourable Senator, Mr. Farhatullah Babar, Honourable Senator, Mr. Muhammad Mohsin Leghari and former Secretary Senate, Mr. Iftikharullah Babar was arranged. The session was moderated by Mr. Ali Imran, Senior Advisor Legislative Affairs, MuP. During the session, numerous queries of the participants were addressed.
Later on, a visit of the National Parliament (National Assembly Parliamentary Forums, Senate Museum and Gali-e-Dastoor) was arranged along with briefing on the working of the Senate Secretariat by the Director General Protocol, Mr. Tariq Bin Waheed. The participants were then seated in the Women’s Parliamentary Caucus and were briefed by Syed Shamoon Hashmi, Special Secretary, National Assembly Secretariat, about various Parliamentary Forums initiated by the National Assembly including Young Parliamentary Forum, Women Parliamentary Caucus, Child Rights Caucus, SDGs Taskforce etc.
Day 03: Friday, 20th September, 2024
On the last day of the workshop, Mr. Muhammad Maqbool Khan, Director General (Committees), National Assembly Secretariat, was invited to brief the audience on the working of the Committee System in the National Assembly of Pakistan. He emphasised that committees play an indispensable role in oversight mechanism and flawless legislation. He quoted: “Parliamentary Committees are the eyes, the ears, the hands and very often the brain of the House”. He further explained the composition, membership, chairman, quorum, voting, casting vote and meetings of the committee. He highlighted various powers and functions of the committees as mentioned in the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the National Assembly.
The workshop concluded with the closing remarks by Ms. Margie Cook, Team Lead, Mustehkam Parlimaan (MuP). Subsequently, the worthy Executive Director, Mr. Muhammad Rashid Mafzool Zaka, formally thanked the Honourable Members for their keen interest and active participation in the workshop. He formally ended the workshop by honouring the founder of the Nation, the Honourable Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and the poet of the east Honourable Allama Muhammad Iqbal.