Members of the Pakistan Parliament learned first hand about one of the most popular and entertaining practices of the British Parliament – Question Hour – at a series of workshops organized by USAID's Pakistan Legislative Strengthening Project.
The workshops, conducted in the Islamabad and Quetta, aimed to enhance the legislators' ability to effectively participate in Pakistan's own Question Hour. The sessions also provided a forum for discussion of ways to improve Question Time in the parliament and provincial assemblies.
Designed to incorporate the active participation and experience of the elected members, the programs were facilitated by Tony Worthington, Former Member of the British House of Commons, and Khan Ahmad Goraya, former Secretary General of Pakistan's National Assembly
A presentation of the history of this important legislative oversight tool provided the context for discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of Pakistan's approach to Question Time. The discussions produced many insights on issues ranging from the way submitted questions are processed, how to improve the conduct of the sessions, as well as how individuals could craft questions to meet their goals of obtaining information or highlighting government actions.
The program will be offered to legislators in each of the national and provincial legislature and repeated periodically to provide more members an opportunity to participate.
The Pakistan Legislative Strengthening Project is a two-year initiative of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) working with the National Assembly and Senate of Pakistan and the provincial assemblies in NWFP, Balochistan, Sindh and Punjab. |
