PIPS Session on State of Economy & Annual Budget 2025-26 for Hon. MPAs of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

June 16, 2025 FUNCTIONARIES, MEMBERS, SEMINARS & WORKSHOPS

The Pakistan Institute for Parliamentary Services (PIPS), in collaboration with EU Funded Mustehkam Parlimaan Project, successfully organized a Technical Session on State of Economy & Annual Budget 2025-26 for the Honourable Members of Provincial Assembly of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Monday, 16 June, 2025 at Peshawar.

The event was attended by 85 participants, including 30 Honorable Members of Provincial Assembly of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and officers from different sections/wings of the Assembly Secretariat. The seminar aimed at equipping the participants about the concept of budget, constitutional and other legal provisions regarding the budget, mechanisms for revenue collection and resource distribution among the federation and the federating units, key highlights and statistics from the Federal budget and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Budget 2025-26.

The seminar formally commenced with the recitation of verses from the Holy Quran by Mr. Tanzil Ur Rahman. Following that, Ms. Tehseen Khalid, Director Research PIPS, moderated the event. Muhammad Rashid Mafzool Zaka, Director General Research PIPS, presented welcome remarks in which he thanked Honorable Members for their participation in the event amid their occupied schedules. He highlighted the important role that well-informed parliamentary debates on budget play in promoting fiscal transparency, economic accountability and making policies focused on the welfare of the people. He also outlined the key topics covered in the sessions, along with the introduction of the facilitators and their areas of expertise.

In the first session, Mr. Haider Abbas, DG Budget, NVTTC apprised the participants on reading and analyzing the budget documents. His presentation included explaining the concept of budget, constitutional and other legal provisions for the federal and provincial budgets. While explaining the mechanisms for revenue collection and resource distribution among the federation and the federating units, he discussed about key highlights from the federal budget of Pakistan 2025-26. Further, he explained key statistics of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Budget 2025-26 and also briefed the Honourable Members about the budget documents and their purpose. The second panelist, Dr. Wasim Shahid Malik, Former SBP Chair/PFM Consultant, MuP conducted the session on Key Challenges to Pakistan’s Economy and its Impact on the Budget & Economy of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. In his session Dr. Wasim explained the country’s economic performance with facts and figures of financial year 2024-25 and the previous ones. He facilitated the Honourable Members with a closer look at sectoral growth of Pakistan economy comparing yearly performance of the sectors during FY 2022-23 to FY 2024-25. He gave historical context of the GDP growth rate of Pakistan over two and a half decades. He also acquainted the participants about Agriculture

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 Session on State of Economy & Annual Budget 2025-26 for Hon. MPAs of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

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