Pakistan—Legislative Strengthening Program (PLSP)

Through PLSP, DAI worked with national and provincial legislatures to strengthen parliamentary institutions and processes. The program’s focus was on improving the capacity of the legislatures in their representation, lawmaking, oversight/accountability, and infrastructure/management activities.

Sample Activities

• Assist Pakistani legislatures to provide information to the public and receive input from citizens during the legislative process; improve the structures and mechanisms by which legislation is analyzed, debated, and passed; oversee government operations, particularly in budget formulation and implementation; and improve the day-to-day operation of the legislative processes.

Select Results

• Established a facility for the Parliamentary Institute for Legislative Services.
• Engaged local public finance specialists and economists to create a Pakistan-specific budget analysis tool that enhanced legislators’ ability to track public expenditures and link them to policy objectives, leading to increased awareness of the role of legislators in the budget process and increased government accountability.
• Produced a calendar for the Senate to focus the leadership, members, government, and the public on a predictable legislative calendar, and designed websites to announce pending legislative activities.
• Created a Legislative Drafting Course that included civil society and academic specialists.
• On February 8, 2007, PLSP made history in Pakistan by bringing together leaders of the National Parliament and the Provincial Assemblies in the first-ever Conference of Committee Chairs. The Conference provided an opportunity for interaction between national and provincial committee chairs and set the stage for strengthening the institution of committees, particularly in their oversight and representational roles.