The Pakistan Institute for Parliamentary Services (PIPS) successfully concluded the 11th National Parliamentary Development Course (NPDC) with a Closing Ceremony held on Monday at PIPS, Islamabad. The six-week flagship programme brought together mid-career parliamentary officers from the Senate, National Assembly, Provincial Assemblies, Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly, and PIPS.
In his closing address, Mr. Asim Khan Goraya, Executive Director, PIPS, congratulated the participants on successfully completing the course and emphasized the importance of continuous learning for parliamentary officers in a rapidly evolving governance environment. He underscored that programmes like NPDC are crucial for mid-career officers to consolidate experience into leadership, innovation, and sound professional judgment. The Executive Director appreciated the collective contribution of all PIPS wings, resource persons, and facilitators for ensuring the successful conduct of this long-duration programme.
The ceremony commenced with recitation of the Holy Quran, followed by remarks from Syed Zain Gillani, Director General (Parliamentary Development Programme & Coordination), PIPS, who reflected on the overall journey of the course. He highlighted that the NPDC was designed as a holistic capacity-building programme, combining core parliamentary knowledge with the development of essential professional and soft skills. He appreciated the participants for their commitment, active engagement, and seriousness throughout the six-week programme, noting their participation in assignments, group work, quizzes, study visits, and presentations. Mr. Gillani acknowledged the invaluable support of the PIPS team, without which the programme could not have been successfully delivered.
Participants representing all eight Houses shared reflections on their NPDC experience and collectively expressed strong appreciation for the professionalism, dedication, and tireless efforts of the PIPS team, particularly the Parliamentary Development Programme (PDP) team. They acknowledged the warmth, hospitality, and supportive learning environment provided by PIPS, which enabled meaningful learning, cross-institutional interaction, and professional networking.
The ceremony concluded with the distribution of certificates among participants, followed by a luncheon hosted by PIPS. The 11th NPDC reaffirmed PIPS’ commitment to strengthening parliamentary institutions through structured, inclusive, and high-quality capacity-building initiatives.