PIPS holds Koha Migration & Training at Balochistan Assembly, Quetta 9-11th Dec., 2025

COURSES, FUNCTIONARIES, SEMINARS & WORKSHOPS

The Pakistan Institute for Parliamentary Services (PIPS) continues its mandate to support provincial legislatures in strengthening parliamentary research and information services. In this context, PIPS conducted a three-day technical training and system migration for the Balochistan Assembly Library consequent upon the decisions taken under the 18th Speaker’s Conference held in Islamabad.

Held from 9–11 December 2025, the activity focused on upgrading the Assembly’s existing Koha 2.2 library system to the modern Koha 25.05 platform. The migration was jointly carried out by the PIPS IT Wing and the library staff of the Research Wing under the supervision of DG (Research). Three member PIPS faculty team comprising Mr Muhammad Nazir Khan DG IT, Muhammad Qaiser Iqbal Director Library and Mr Fayaz Gul Asstt Librarian conducted onjob sessions for officers and staff of Library and IT teams of Provincial Assembly of Balochistan.

During the sessions, participants received structured, hands-on training across key modules of Koha 25.05, including cataloging, acquisitions, circulation, patron management, OPAC settings, authority control, and report generation. Practical exercises on MARC field mapping, data cleanup, and system administration were also conducted to build the operational capacity of Balochistan Assembly staff.

Secretary Balochistan Assembly, Mr. Tahir Shah Kakar, appreciated the cooperation extended by the Pakistan Institute for Parliamentary Services PIPS and acknowledged the professionalism displayed by both teams throughout the exercise. He conveyed special thanks to Executive Director PIPS, Mr. Asim Khan Goraya, for facilitating this productive engagement and supporting the development of parliamentary information services.

Following the successful migration, the Balochistan Assembly Library has been integrated into the PIPS central server and is now part of the PIPS Union Catalog, enabling improved access to parliamentary resources and enhanced inter-institutional collaboration. Further work on circulation workflows and patron management is underway to ensure smooth operations under the upgraded system. This initiative reflects PIPS’ firm commitment to strengthening parliamentary libraries and supporting provincial assemblies in adopting modern information management tools.

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.

PIPS holds Koha Migration & Training at Balochistan Assembly, Quetta 9-11th Dec., 2025

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