PIPS conducted a Seminar on Parliamentary Processes and Working of Parliament on Tuesday, May 19th from 02:00 p.m to 04:30 p.m for a group of 110 high achievers from universities all across Balochistan, to mark the Constitution day celebrations. The interactive engagement saw transformative insights into Pakistan’s democratic framework, Parliamentary systems and legislative processes. Mr. Abdul Majid, Assistant Research Officer moderated this interactive session. Before formal beginning of the Programme, national anthem was played followed by recitation of verses from the Holy Quran by Qari Anis ur Rehman.
Mr. Asim Khan Goraya, Executive Director, PIPS delivered welcome remarks as the session formally began. He warmly welcomed the students and faculty of the Universities and commended the Directorate of Youth Affairs, Government of Balochistan for such initiatives that connects young people with national institutions and promotes national integration. He also acknowledged the efforts of research wing of PIPS for organizing the event in short span of time. He said that Balochistan is a vital part of Pakistan, whose greatest strength lies in its resourceful land and, above all, its resilient people, especially its youth, who hold immense potential for future. He stressed that the youth of Balochistan are vital builders of Pakistan’s future, and through active participation, learning, and leadership, they can play a decisive role in strengthening the nation’s democracy and governance. In Pakistan, unity through diversity strengthens national cohesion, and Balochistan remains an integral and proud part of this shared national identity. In the end, he expressed hope that the visit would inspire students to better understand democratic processes and contribute to Pakistan’s development. He eulogised PIPS Research wing in holding the event in a short time.
The delegation from different universities of Balochistan was headed by Mr. Syed Furqan Mubarak, Senior Consultant of Directorate of Youth Affairs, Balochistan. He formally thanked the worthy Executive Director PIPS Mr. Asim Khan Goraya and praised the role of PIPS in bridging the gap between Parliament and the people. He also thanked Mr. Muhammad Rashid Mafzool Zaka DG Research PIPS for organizing the inspirational Seminar. He acknowledged that such events provide the students great opportunities of learning and knowledge sharing. He also apprised about Balochistan’s Youth development policy 2024 that focuses to strengthen national integration.
The first session of the Seminar was on “Understanding the Parliamentary Processes in Pakistan”. Mr. Muhammad Rashid Mafzool Zaka, Director General (Research) PIPS, explained in simplistic terms the concept of Democracy, which focuses upon representation and inclusion of all, along with parliamentary accountability of the people sitting on the helm of affairs. He also elaborated the concept of Sovereignty before highlighting the rights of citizens enshrined in the Constitution and the responsibilities that they owe to the state. He explained how Pakistan’s Parliament operates as a bicameral institution through the National Assembly and Senate. His presentation offered an in-depth discussion on the functioning of Parliament. Adopting an interactive approach, Mr. Zaka proactively engaged participants, encouraging questions and dialogue on matters of parliamentary working. He briefed participants on Parliament’s main responsibilities, including making laws, representing public concerns, overseeing government performance, and reviewing the national budget especially various tools of non legislative business.
The 2nd Session on “The Legislative Process in Parliament”, was conducted by Mr. Abdul Nabi Solangi, Deputy Director (Legislation) PIPS. He started his session by explaining the term Law, its sources and its types. He presented the schematic illustration of the law-making process in Pakistan while also highlighting the importance of laws. He shed light on Islamic jurisprudence as well. Mr. Solangi also shared different types of legislative instruments such as bills, acts and ordinances. The session was interactive in nature where students were also engaged through questions.
The 3rd session was “Committees in the Parliament”, which was held by Ms. Tehseen Khalid, Director Research PIPS. She explained the Committee system in detail; the composition, types, functions etc. She described committees as engine room of the Parliament. She said that Standing Committees are the core mechanism of oversight, where each government ministry is paired with a dedicated committee to ensure accountability, scrutiny of bills, review of ministry performance, public hearings, and financial oversight including the Public Sector Development Program (PSDP). Similarly, committees are often termed as the “eyes and ears” of the Parliament. She highlighted the rules of procedures pertaining to committees and noted that committees are just recommendatory bodies. She also delved upon various powers and duties of the committees.
A comprehensive question answer session was held where the PIPS faculty answered to numerous questions raised by the participants pertaining to amendments, parliamentary scrutiny and effectiveness of democratic order. The event concluded with the vote of thanks to proud students of Balochistan and govt initiaive of youth development. DG R read famous quote of the Quaid e Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah as well as heartfelt slogan in unison with participants – PAKISTAN ZINDABAD. The vibrant students shared that “the motivation of Team PIPS to serve the country and Parliament inspired them to work in unison and leave no stone unturned for reaching excellence in knowledge and democratic values as envisioned by the founding fathers of Pakistan. We will try to emulate the dedication to service and following Constitutional spirit in day to day lives to serve our people in the future without fail.