ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Institute of Parliamentary Studies (PIPS) and Parliamentary Reporters Association (PRA) on Tuesday agreed to collaborate for capacity building of the journalists to help improve overall parliamentary practices.
In a first formal interaction with Zafarullah Khan, Executive Director of the PIPS, senior representatives of the PRA explored various areas for future collaboration. Hafiz Tahir Khalil, Sidiq Sajid, Behzad Saleemi and other senior representatives of the PRA were present in the meeting, which was facilitated by Improving Parliamentary Performance in Pakistan (IP3). Khan offered the PRA to organize workshops and seminars at the PIPS premises.
He also assured the journalists that his institution would arrange four workshops, in a year, for the parliamentary reporters.
The executive director said his institution would help the PRA build its web portal and maintain it. He also pledged to provide logistic and other support to the PRA, subject to the submission of specific projects. He shared his own experience of covering and observing parliamentary proceedings. He agreed with the PRA members that a comprehensive strategy needs to be formulated to improve the parliamentary reporting. Khan endorsed the proposal of starting an exchange program with the help of donor agencies so that the Pakistani journalists could visit foreign Parliaments to observe their working.
