ISLAMABAD: An inauguration ceremony marking the beginning of internship of 60 interns associated with the Upper House of Parliament under the National Internship Programme was held here at the Pakistan Institute of Parliamentary Services (PIPS) on Tuesday.
PIPS Executive Director Zafarulllah Khan, in his welcome remarks to the interns, said that the selected interns have gone through the tests of the education system of Pakistan where there is no presence of a parliamentary or constitutional history of Pakistan in the curriculum. He said that the interns in Senate will get an opportunity to see the actual working of the Parliament.
Zafarullah Khan said that the parliaments, internationally, have established research procedures and support staff for legislators but there is no such practice in Pakistan. He said the members of the Parliament are overworked because they have to schedule meetings and briefings themselves, in short span of time, on diverse matters, including the constitution, foreign affairs, defence, economy and many other areas, and they need expertise in research and drafting for doing this. The interns will prove to be a useful support in this regard, while also being able to see the life in the Parliament closely.
The inaugural ceremony was followed by an orientation session for the interns which will continue the next day as well and will include sessions titled, Constitution of Pakistan, how does the Parliament work, parliamentary correspondence, time and task management and life of a legislator.
