The Young Parliamentarians Forum (YPF) of the National Assembly, under the leadership of its President Syeda Nosheen Iftikhar, MNA, commenced a two-day Post-Legislative Scrutiny (PLS) Workshop for Members of the National Assembly in Islamabad. The workshop aligns with the vision of Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq to promote post-legislative scrutiny and strengthen parliamentary oversight.
Inaugural Day Participants
The inaugural day was attended by MNAs Raja Osama Sarwar, Ms Shaista Khan, Babar Nawaz Khan, Ms Akhtar Bibi, Syed Shah Ahad Ali Shah, Ms Shamaila Rana, Miqdad Ali Khan, Ms Sadaf Ihsan, Danyal Chaudhary, Makhdoom Zain Hussain Qureshi, and Ms Neelum Kumari. Chairman of SFEA, Ali Hameed, was also present.
Workshop Objectives and Collaboration
The workshop, organized by YPF in collaboration with the Shaoor Foundation for Education & Awareness (SFEA), aims to equip parliamentarians with the knowledge, skills, and practical tools required for effective post-legislative scrutiny. This enables them to assess whether laws enacted by Parliament are implemented in their true spirit and achieving intended outcomes. The initiative seeks to strengthen Parliament’s oversight role by fostering a culture of continuous legislative evaluation, ensuring executive accountability, identifying implementation gaps, and promoting evidence-based improvements to existing laws.
President YPF’s Inaugural Address
President YPF Syeda Nosheen Iftikhar inaugurated the workshop by outlining its objectives, setting participants’ expectations, and highlighting the Forum’s ongoing efforts to strengthen the capacity of YPF Chapters across the country. The inaugural session also featured welcome remarks by Raja Shoaib Akbar, Executive Director of SFEA.
Technical Sessions on Legislative Scrutiny
The technical sessions on “What and Why of Legislative Scrutiny” and “Evaluating Law Effectiveness” were conducted by Syed Shamoon Hashmi, Special Secretary (Special Initiatives), NA Secretariat. Through these sessions, participants gained a comprehensive understanding of Parliament’s oversight responsibilities, international best practices in post-legislative scrutiny, tools for assessing legislative effectiveness, and practical approaches to evaluating the implementation and impact of laws.
Interactive Post-Budget Session
The workshop also featured an interactive post-budget session titled “Federal Budget and Youth Challenges,” facilitated by Mukhtar Ahmad Ali, Executive Director of the Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives (CPDI) and Founder of the Citizens Network for Budget Accountability (CNBA). The session focused on analyzing the Federal Budget 2026–27 from a youth perspective and examined Parliament’s role in addressing emerging challenges through effective budgetary oversight and legislative interventions.
Concluding Remarks and Commitment
Concluding the first day’s proceedings, President YPF Syeda Nosheen Iftikhar highlighted key takeaways from the deliberations and reaffirmed the Forum’s commitment to institutionalizing post-legislative scrutiny as an essential component of effective parliamentary oversight. She emphasized that strengthening parliamentarians’ capacity in this regard would contribute to more effective implementation of laws and improved governance. She also appreciated the valuable contributions of the officers and officials of the National Assembly Secretariat, namely Raja Muhammad Ali, Syed Arslan Kazmi, and Arsalan Kiani, whose dedication and professional efforts played an important role in the successful organization of the workshop.
Broader Impact and Recommendations
The Young Parliamentarians Forum believes that institutionalizing post-legislative scrutiny will enable Parliament to move beyond the enactment of legislation towards ensuring its effective implementation in its true letter and spirit, safeguarding constitutional rights, improving governance, and reinforcing democratic accountability. The recommendations emerging from the workshop will contribute to strengthening parliamentary committees and promoting a more responsive, transparent, and citizen-centric legislative process in Pakistan.
