Daily Times

President Dr Arif Alvi has said that parliament is the backbone of strong and vibrant Pakistan and the institution is also the voice of the common man.

Speaking at a meeting with participants of the 6th National Parliamentary Development Course at the Presidency on Thursday, Dr Arif Alvi said that the founding fathers had envisioned Pakistan as a democratic country.

He highlighted that the Constitution of Pakistan defined the role and functions of the President, Senate, National Assembly and provincial assemblies. Lauding role of the Pakistan Institute for Parliamentary Services in imparting quality training to the participants, President Alvi expressed confidence that the skills acquired by trainees would be translated towards better conducting of official business of the parliament.

He said diversity of parliamentarians belonging to different backgrounds contributed to the strength of democracy. Pakistan Institute for Parliamentary Services is mandated to provide legislative, research and capacity building support to Members of Parliament. The institute also offers capacity building services to officials working in the respective secretariats to enable them provide assistance to parliamentarians for enhancing their performance in four core areas of oversight, legislation, representation and policy guidance in a befitting manner.