ISLAMABAD, Jan 23 (APP):The Parliamentary Interface regarding learning experience of the Provincial Assemblies
Secretariat with Senate
Secretariat of Pakistan was held on Monday here at the Parliament House, jointly organized by th
e Senate of Pakistan and Mustehkam Parlimaan.
The event focused on providing an overview of th
e Senate’s structure, legislative processes, parliamentary research and overall work of th
e Senate of Pakistan
Secretary Senate, Mohammad Qasim Samad Khan, welcomed the del
egation and received a brief introduction from the members of the provincial assemblies accompanying the del
egation.
Haris Rehman, Principal
Secretary, delivered a comprehensive presentation on the structure, electoral college, and functions of th
e Senate of Pakistan. Muhammad Zubair Thaheem, Joint
Secretary briefed the del
egation about the reforms and key initiatives undertaken by th
e Senate to equip itself for modern challenges, a news release said.
Joint
Secretary of Legislation in th
e Senate, Rafi Ullah briefed participants from the Parliamentary Interface on International best practices in the working of the Uper House of the Parliament . He also covered topics such as Senate House proceeding,Senate powers, its legislative role, accountability, and
policy guidance.
During the session, members stressed upon ways to enhance th
e Senate’s relevance in terms of powers to money bills. Muhammad Azam, Deputy
Secretary Legislation also briefed on new Senate practices, including public petitions, PAC, Senate assistance in International Parliamentarian Congress and Women Parliamentarian Congress.
Additionally, Iffat Mustapha, Director Research in th
e Senate, inquired about participants’ research scope in their provinces and provided insights into parliamentary research. She outlined the background of research, mentioning the creation of different specializations in th
e Senate over time. Mustafa emphasized that research not only assists the parliamentarians during their foreign visits but also benefits various departments as well.
The participants also visited th
e Senate Museum, Senate Library, Senate Hall, Data Center and received an informative briefings about them. DG Coordination, PDU(Library), Mir Shai Mazar Baloch, stated that the aim of the Parliamentary Interface is to create a connection between Provincial Legislative units and th
e Senate of Pakistan.
He briefed the del
egation about the role of the Parliamentary Development Unit (PDU), which is solely dedicated to informing th
e Senate
Secretariat about new innovations and acquiring additional resources for the realization of such innovations.
He added that the Parliamentary Interface will serve as a platform for creating connectivity between provincial assemblies and th
e Senate of Pakistan, facilitating coordination efforts to resolve issues faced by any provincial units. Moreover, Iffat Mustafa, Director of Research, emphasized that an effective interface between legislative drafting units and parliamentary research units will contribute to creating quality legislation.
In Conclusion, Special
Secretary of th
e Senate, Major (R) Syed Hasnian Haider, provided concrete clarification in response to the del
egation’s queries and the del
egation presents a summary of key takeaways from the visit.
