Workshop on Pro-Women Laws and Legislative Scrutiny for Federal Women’s Parliamentary Caucus

December 16, 2025 MEMBERS, SEMINARS & WORKSHOPS

The Pakistan Institute for Parliamentary Services (PIPS), in collaboration with Federal Women Parliamentary Caucus, UN Women and UNDP successfully arranged a Workshop on Pro-Women Laws and Legislative Scrutiny for Federal Women’s Parliamentary Caucus on Tuesday, December 16, 2025, with the aim of strengthening parliamentary capacity for gender-responsive legislation and effective legislative oversight. The workshop was attended by 40 participants including 17 Honorable members of the Federal Women Parliamentary Caucus.

The workshop commenced with welcome remarks by Mr. Asim Khan Goraya, Executive Director, PIPS, who warmly welcomed the Federal Women’s Parliamentary Caucus (WPC), parliamentarians, development partners, and participants. He highlighted PIPS’ lead in hosting the workshop on “Pro-Women Laws and Legislative Scrutiny” and acknowledged the leadership of Dr. Shahida Rehmani and support from UN Women, particularly Mr. Jamshed M. Kazi. Emphasizing women’s vital role in socio-economic development, he stressed the importance of gender-responsive legislation and effective scrutiny. He concluded by thanking partners and expressing hope for stronger pro-women laws and inclusive policymaking.

Mr. Jamshed M. Kazi, Country Representative, UN Women, delivered the opening remarks, highlighting the importance of gender-responsive laws and the role of parliamentary institutions in advancing women’s rights. He highlighted the workshop’s aim to strengthen legislative scrutiny, build drafting confidence, and foster cross-party dialogue, ensuring women’s rights move from moral arguments to enforceable legal realities.

The keynote address was delivered by Dr. Shahida Rehmani, Secretary, Federal Women’s Parliamentary Caucus. She highlighted the WPC’s cross-party efforts to advance gender equality, strengthen pro-women legislation, and enhance legislative scrutiny. Emphasizing well-drafted, enforceable laws, she encouraged active participation in the workshop to build consensus, improve legislative review, and ensure laws translate into meaningful change for women across Pakistan.

The technical sessions featured expert-led discussions on legislative scrutiny and drafting practices. Mr. Muhammad Khashih ur Rehman, Draftsman and Additional Secretary, Ministry of Law and Justice, led a session on tools and techniques for effective legislative scrutiny, focusing on analysing bills through a gender-responsive lens. This was followed by a session on building consensus for pro-women laws by Syed Shamoon Hashmi, Special Secretary, National Assembly of Pakistan, who shared practical insights drawn from parliamentary experience. In the afternoon, Mr. Sheikh Sarfraz Ahmed, Senior Drafting Specialist, conducted a hands-on workshop on drafting gender-responsive laws, guiding participants through practical approaches to embedding gender considerations in legislative texts.

The concluding session included remarks by Ms. Van Nguye, Deputy Resident Representative, UNDP, and Mr. Syed Ali Hameed, Founder and Chairperson, SFEA, who reiterated the importance of coordinated efforts among parliamentary institutions, development partners, and civil society. The workshop concluded with a vote of thanks by the Secretary Women’s Parliamentary Caucus, reaffirming the collective commitment to strengthening legislative scrutiny and ensuring effective implementation of pro-women laws in Pakistan.

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 Pro-Women Laws and Legislative Scrutiny for Federal Women’s Parliamentary Caucus

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