The Pakistan Institute for Parliamentary Services (PIPS), in collaboration with Mustehkam Parlimaan (MuP) – an EU funded project, , is organizing a two-day National Workshop on Effective Legislative Scrutiny for Responsive Parliamentary Oversight for Honourable Members of the National Parliament and Provincial Assemblies of Pakistan from 10th to 11th December, 2025 at PIPS, Islamabad.

The day commenced with recitation from the Holy Quran. The inaugural session brought together parliamentary leaders, experts, and practitioners to discuss strengthened mechanisms for legislative oversight in Pakistan. The session opened with remarks by Dr. Sebastien Lorien, First Secretary Delegation of EU to Pakistan, who highlighted the importance of evidence-based scrutiny, democratic accountability, and adaptive parliamentary practices.
This was followed by a formal welcome by Mr. Asim Khan Goraya, Executive Director PIPS, who welcomed participants to the national workshop, emphasizing its significance as it coincides with International Human Rights Day 2025. He highlighted Parliament’s responsibility to uphold dignity, equality, and constitutional rights, especially as public expectations for accountability grow. He noted that Post-Legislative Scrutiny (PLS) and oversight of delegated legislation are essential for ensuring laws achieve their intended outcomes and remain aligned with parliamentary intent. Drawing on global practices, he stressed that robust legislative review is a hallmark of mature democracies. He thanked Mustehkam Parlimaan and the PIPS PDP Wing for their collaboration and reaffirmed PIPS’ commitment to strengthening legislative oversight in Pakistan.
The Keynote Address was delivered by Senator Zamir Hussain Ghumro, who emphasized the critical role of legislatures in safeguarding citizens’ rights through rigorous review, oversight, and post-legislative evaluation.
The technical sessions began with a panel discussion on “The Role of Standing Committees on Law and Justice and Delegated Legislations. Senator Farhatullah Babar and Senator Mohsin Laghari shared valuable insights on committee processes, delegation challenges, and the need for stronger scrutiny frameworks to ensure that legislation aligns with constitutional guarantees and international human rights commitments. An open house discussion moderated by Mr. Ali Imran, Key Expert Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs (Mustehkam Parlimaan), allowed participants to engage with the panel on legislative gaps, committee powers, and the intersection between executive rule-making and parliamentary oversight.
For the second session, participants joined a virtual session on Post-Legislative Scrutiny (PLS) led by Mr. Franklin De Vrieze, Global Parliamentary Expert and Senior Non-Key Expert on PLS (Mustehkam Parlimaan). He provided an overview of global practices, processes, and analytical tools used to conduct effective PLS, with particular emphasis on human rights-related legislation.
The afternoon segment focused on the national context with a session on “Tools and Techniques to Conduct Post-Legislative Scrutiny of Human Rights Legislations in Pakistan.” Delivered by Ms. Rabeea Anwar, Additional Secretary, Senate of Pakistan, the session introduced participants to practical methods, procedural checklists, data-gathering approaches, and committee-level mechanisms essential for conducting structured PLS. The day concluded with an interactive question and answer sessions allowing participants to exchange experiences and identify actionable steps to strengthen committee-based scrutiny of human rights legislation in Pakistan.