Workshop on Leadership Excellence in Parliamentary Committees for the Honorable Chairpersons/Members of the Provincial Assembly of Balochistan.

September 25, 2017 FUNCTIONARIES, MEMBERS, SEMINARS & WORKSHOPS

Islamabad, September 25^th, 2017. Pakistan Institute for Parliamentary Services (PIPS) in collaboration with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) organized a two-day long capacity building event for the Honourable Chairpersons and Officers of the Provincial Assembly of Balochistan. The objective of the event was to share best parliamentary practices of the Committees’ system and to create awareness about the challenges faced by political leadership in the backdrop of changing geo-political scenario. Honourable Speaker of the Provincial Assembly of Balochistan – Ms. Raheela Hameed Khan Durrani inaugurated the workshop. In her address to the participants she highlighted the importance of such initiatives especially in the Provincial Assembly of Balochistan, where Committees only became functional in the recent past. The Executive Director PIPS – Mr. Zafarullah Khan and Mr. Quraysh Khattak – Parliamentary Officer from UNDP warmly welcomed the Honourable participants. The Executive Director PIPS gave an overview of the Parliamentary Committees – as a mechanism for resolving conflicts. It was followed by an interactive session of Honourable Federal Minister for States and Frontier Regions, Lt. Gen. (R) Abdul Qadir Baloch, who spoke about the Strategic Issues and Challenges faced by Pakistan and their impact on Balochistan. He candidly answered some burning questions during Q & A session. The former Federal Minister for Law and renowned lawyer, Mr. Ahmer Bilal Sufi also spoke on the occasion, emphasized the need for Legislative Reforms in “Contract Management” in Balochistan. Last session of the day took place at the Senate Secretariat, where the Honourable Chairman of the Senate of Pakistan, Mian Raza Rabbani addressed the participants and shared best practices of the Senate of Pakistan. The day ended with the visit of the delegate to the “Galli-e-Dastoor” and tribute of the members at the “Monument of Unsung Heroes of Democracy”.

On day two, an exclusive session was facilitated by the Special Secretary of the National Assembly – Mr. Qamar Sohail Lodhi on the topic of “Best Practices of Parliamentary Committees in Pakistan”. Later, the participants visited the National Assembly of Pakistan on the invitation of the Honourable Speaker, the President PIPS Board of Governors, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq. During an interactive session with the delegate, Honourable Speaker shared some of the initiatives that had been taken at the National Assembly to strengthen the Secretariat leadership and to empower the committees.

At the end of the event, the Honourable Members of the delegate thanked Executive Director PIPS and desired to have more exchange programmes in future. Mr. Zafarullah Khan, Executive Director PIPS, presented Vote of Thanks to all Members attending the workshop.

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.

Workshop on Leadership Excellence in Parliamentary Committees for the Honorable Chairpersons/Members of the Provincial Assembly of Balochistan.

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