Islamabad, (Parliament Times) : The Parliamentary Interface event regarding the learning experience of the Provincial Assemblies Secretariat with the Senate Secretariat of Pakistan was held at the Parliament House, jointly organized by the Senate of Pakistan and Mustehkam Parlimaan. The event focused on providing an overview of the Senate’s structure, legislative processes, parliamentary research, and overall work of the Senate of Pakistan Secretary Senate, Mohammad Qasim Samad Khan, welcomed the delegation and received a brief introduction from the members of the provincial assemblies accompanying the delegation. Haris Rehman, Principal Secretary, delivered a comprehensive presentation on the structure, electoral college, and functions of the Senate of Pakistan. Muhammad Zubair Thaheem, Joint Secretary briefed the delegation about the reforms and key initiatives undertaken by the Senate to equip itself for modern challenges.
Rafi Ullah, Joint Secretary of Legislation in the Senate, briefed participants from the Parliamentary Interface on International best practices in the working of the Upper House of the Parliament. He also covered topics such as Senate House proceedings, Senate powers, its legislative role, accountability, and policy guidance.
During the session, members stressed ways to enhance the Senate’s relevance in terms of powers to money bills. Muhammad Azam, Deputy Secretary of Legislation also briefed on new Senate practices, including public petitions, PAC, and Senate assistance in the International Parliamentarian Congress and Women Parliamentarian Congress.
Additionally, Ms. Iffat Mustapha, Director of Research in the 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 the Senate over time. Ms. Mustafa emphasized that research not only assists parliamentarians during their foreign visits but also benefits various departments as well.
The participants also visited the Senate Museum, Senate Library, Senate Hall, and Data Center and received an informative briefings about them.
After lunch, DG Coord./PDU/Library, Mir Shai Mazar Baloch, stated that the Parliamentary Interface aims to create a connection between Provincial Legislative units and the Senate of Pakistan. He briefed the delegation about the role of the Parliamentary Development Unit (PDU), which is solely dedicated to informing the Senate Secretariat about 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 the 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 the Senate, Major (R) Syed Hasnian Haider, provided concrete clarification in response to the delegation’s queries and the delegation presented a summary of key takeaways from the visit.