Chairman Senate/President PIPS BoG reiterates proactive initiatives by PIPS to strengthen Legislature

October 8, 2024 ORIENTATIONS

Islamabad, Pakistan – October 8, 2024– Chairman Senate Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani called upon the Pakistan Institute for Parliamentary Services (PIPS) for proactive initiatives to provide quality research and capacity building of Members of Parliament as well as staff working at the National Parliament and provincial legislatures. He made these remarks while addressing the senior leadership of PIPS on his maiden visit to the Pakistan Institute of Parliamentary Services (PIPS), after taking charge as its President Board of Governors.

Articulating PIPS primary objective during his welcome address, Chairman Senate of Pakistan, Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani, said, “We aim to enhance the outreach of the Pakistan Institute for Parliamentary Services as globally recognized center of insightful capacity building programs on all aspects of parliamentary working for individual Members of Parliament as well as committees and secretariat staff working in all the Houses in addition to provision of technical assistance in fulfilling their key functions of legislation, representation and oversight.

Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani also encouraged PIPS to hold proactive training modules for provincial assembly Members in its Islamabad Campus in order to fulfill its mandated role as a bridge between the Parliament and the educationists, academia and members of civil society in order to strengthen public-friendly legislation and policy initiatives.

The Chairman Senate/President PIPS Board of Governors expressed his appreciation of entire team of PIPS for their global recognition as a Top Tier Parliamentary Research and Training Institution amongst institutes from 183 countries done by the UK House of Commons Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology as per its recently published report in May 2024 (see St. Andrews University website: https://www.ruru.ac.uk/research-and-parliament-report/) He eulogized the team PIPS to enhance its great efforts in parliamentary studies program through which more than 12,000 students have been oriented on working of Parliament in 17 universities in countrywide.

Reiterating the importance of Institute as an exclusive seat of research and training learning of parliamentarians, Executive Director PIPS, Mr. Muhammad Rashid Mafzool Zaka said, “PIPS continues to provide training, legislative, research and outreach services to the National Parliament and Provincial Legislatures and it has held over 429 training programs and served over 2000 research papers to MPs in addition to technical assistance in drafting parliamentary tools including over 300 bills, all within stipulated deadlines since 2009 to 2024.” Mr. Zaka gave a comprehensive briefing on the evolution, functions and accomplishments of PIPS from 2009-10 to 2024.

Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani, President PIPS Board of Governors expressed his keen interest in working of the Institute as he visited Institute’s library to praise the publication of 74 books as well as international publications by the Institute. He also lauded PIPS initiative on updating its National Archiving of Federal Laws and the Pakistan Code (2002-2024) as well as publishing books in Urdu language on parliamentary topics especially economy and budget for a wider outreach and understanding of working of the legislature.

He also expressed his satisfaction regarding the PIPS initiatives to conduct trainings of international Members of Parliament and staffers from Turkey, Cambodia, Zambia and Kazakhstan. ED PIPS informed the Hon Chairman that Institute is scheduled to host the international 45^th Parliamentarians for Global Action Forum Meet from Oct., 28-30, 2024. The Hon President PIPS BoG asked the Executive Director to enhance the Institute’s international and national training initiatives, capacity building of bureaucrats and civil bureaucracy as well as close communication with the National Parliament, provincial legislatures and legislative assemblies of Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan.

Secretary, Senate of Pakistan, Syed Hasnain Haider along with senior tier of the Senate of Pakistan – Mr Hafeezullah Sheikh Special Secretary, Mr Asim Khan Goraya Additional Secy and Ms Rabea Anwar Joint Secretary legislation and HR and senior managements of the Pakistan Institute for Parliamentary Services – Executive Director and Director General (Research) Muhammad Rashid Mafzool Zaka, Ms Samer Awais DG PDP&C, Qazi Shams Ud Din, CIA, Mr Haider Abbas DG Finance, Mir Shai Mazar Baloch DG Admn, Mr Muhammad Nazir Khan DG IT and Mr Amir Khalil DG Legislation attended the meeting. Mr Zaka ED PIPS presented set of Institute’s recent publications and vote of thanks to Hon Chairman Senate/ the President PIPS Board of Governors Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani for his generous guidance and insightful vision that will certainly go a long way for the team PIPS to deliver quality legislative, research and capacity building services with renewed zeal.

On the direction of the Chairman Senate/President PIPS Board of Governors, the Pakistan Institute for Parliamentary Services (PIPS), has implemented a comprehensive set of measures aimed at ensuring fiscal discipline, operational efficiency, and responsible utilization of public resources, on the same lines as notified and adopted by the Senate and National Assembly Secretariats.

Under the new measures, the Institute has adopted a four-day working week (Monday to Thursday), while introducing a hybrid working model whereby 50% of staff will perform duties from the office and 50% will work remotely on a rotational basis. Employees working from home will remain fully accessible through digital communication platforms and may be required to report to the office on short notice, ensuring uninterrupted institutional functioning.

Significant steps have also been taken to promote energy conservation. These include a target of achieving up to 70% reduction in energy consumption through minimizing unnecessary use of electricity and ensuring that official meetings, trainings, and events are scheduled during daylight hours. Foreign tours are banned and international meetings are being held virtually.

In the transport section, PIPS has introduced strict measures to curtail expenditure and 70% official vehicles have been grounded as part of this initiative.

As part of broader austerity efforts, 20% reduction has been imposed on the non-ERE budget for the fourth quarter of the current financial year. The officers drawing a monthly salary of PKR 300,000 or more, shall surrendered two days salary or 5% to 30% salary on gross as per Federal Government decision.

The Institute has also discontinued all non-essential procurements with immediate effect. Official functions such as dinners and receptions will not be hosted, except in the case of visiting foreign delegations, and even then, strictly in accordance with austerity protocols.

These measures have been implemented with immediate effect and will remain in force until further orders.

Under the guidance of President PIPS Board of Governors, Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani, PIPS remains fully committed to maintaining its core functions of parliamentary support, capacity building, and research while contributing proactively to national austerity and sustainability goals.

Chairman Senate/President PIPS BoG reiterates proactive initiatives by PIPS to strengthen Legislature

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