The Pakistan Institute for Parliamentary Services (PIPS), in collaboration with the Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives (CPDI), successfully organized a Post-Budget Seminar for the Honorable Members of the Provincial Assembly of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Monday, 22 June 2026 in Jirga Hall of Provincial Assembly Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Peshawar. The seminar was attended by 80 participants, including 42 Honorable Members of the Provincial Assembly of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and officers from various sections and wings of the Assembly Secretariat.
The programme commenced with the recitation of verses from the Holy Quran by Maulana Latifullah, Provincial Assembly of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The inaugural session was moderated by Mr. Tanzil Ur Rahman, Assistant Director Research, PIPS. In her introductory remarks, Ms. Tehseen Khalid, Director Research, PIPS, welcomed the Honorable Members on behalf of the Honorable Chairman Senate of Pakistan/President PIPS Board of Governors, Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani and Executive Director PIPS, Mr. Asim Khan Goraya. She provided an overview of the seminar agenda, highlighted the key themes to be discussed during the event.
The event started with opening remarks of Syed Wiqar Shah, Secretary, Provincial Assembly of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He acknowledged the significant role of PIPS as the premier parliamentary Institution providing quality research and training services to the legislatures across Pakistan. Syed Wiqar Shah highlighted that the Provincial Assembly of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has enacted long-awaited Employees Act. He appreciated PIPS for its valuable contribution in achieving one of the Act`s milestones through pre-promotion training module and for its contribution to employee training and professional development of 1st Batch of employees. He also commended PIPS for its continued capacity building programs for the Honorable Members of the Assembly and highlighted prospects for institutional collaboration in the future.
Honorable Muhammad Anwar Khan, Senior Member of the Provincial Assembly and Chairman of the Standing Committee on the Higher Education Department, presided over the seminar throughout the day. During his opening remarks, he appreciated PIPS for timely organizing the seminar and other capacity-building initiatives for Members and termed them as highly beneficial and valuable learning opportunities. He emphasized the significance of the seminar in the context of the ongoing budget discussions and noted that the information, analysis and resource materials shared during the program has greatly assist Members during the previous years in effectively participating in budget deliberations and oversight processes.
The first session was conducted by Dr. Amanat Ali, Associate Professor at QAU, Islamabad, on the topic Salient Features and Key Challenges of Pakistan’s Economy and the Provincial Budget of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 2026-27. He explained the country’s key fiscal and economic issues, their historical evolution of these challenges, highlighting how a series of difficult policy choices, institutional weaknesses and recurring economic constraints had contributed to the country’s present economic situation. He emphasized the role of a strong fiscal policy in ensuring economic stability, efficient allocation of resources, income redistribution, employment generation and sustainable economic growth. During the second session, Mr. Haider Abbas, Director General Administration and Finance at NAVTTC, provided an overview of budget formulation, covering the constitutional and legal framework of federal and provincial budgeting, revenue generation, and resource distribution under the NFC Award. He also highlighted key features of the Federal and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Budgets for 2026–27 and emphasized the importance of technical and vocational education in promoting economic growth and workforce competitiveness. The third session was conducted by Mr. Mukhtar Ahmad Ali, Executive Director CPDI, on People-Oriented Budgeting and the Quality of GDP Growth. He shed light on Pakistan’s tax-to-GDP ratio. He highlighted the importance of equitable taxation and explored avenues for broadening the tax base and enhancing domestic revenue mobilization. He stressed stronger parliamentary oversight of the budget, longer deliberation periods, and improved budget scrutiny by standing committees, highlighting gaps in Pakistan compared to OECD and neighboring countries. He also explained the concept of GDP growth and emphasized on the need for healthy growth. Throughout the seminar, the Honorable Members actively engaged with the resource persons through questions, comments and the exchange of views on the issues under discussion. The interactive discussions covered topics such as role and impact of IPPs, the National Finance Commission (NFC), Provincial Finance Commission (PFC) mechanisms for resource allocation at the district level, and the importance of expanding technical and vocational education opportunities for youth and women.
In his closing remarks Honorable Muhammad Anwar Khan appreciated the efforts of PIPS and CPDI for organizing a timely and intellectually enriching event. On behalf of the Executive Director PIPS, Director Research, PIPS Ms. Tehseen Khalid presented Mementoes to Honorable Babar Saleem Swati, Speaker of the Provincial Assembly of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, as well as to Honorable Akbar Ayub Khan, Senior MPA and Syed Wiqar Shah, Secretary of the Provincial Assembly of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The seminar concluded with a vote of thanks by Ms. Tehseen Khalid, who expressed her sincere gratitude to the Honorable Members for their active participation, valuable contributions and continued engagement throughout the event. The day ended with a group photo of all participants followed by lunch.