Islamabad, 18th December 2025: The Women’s Parliamentary Caucus of the National Assembly, in collaboration with the Pakistan Institute for Parliamentary Services (PIPS), UN Women, UNDP, and the Shaoor Foundation, held a workshop on Pro-Women Laws and Legislative Scrutiny on Tuesday, aimed at promoting gender-responsive legislation and strengthening effective legislative oversight.
The workshop commenced with welcome remarks by Mr. Asim Khan Goraya, Executive Director, PIPS, who warmly welcomed the distinguished participants including members of the Women’s Parliamentary Caucus (WPC), and development partners. He acknowledged the vital support of the Secretary of the Women’s Parliamentary Caucus, Dr. Shahida Rehmani, MNA, and UN Women, particularly Mr. Jamshed M. Kazi, in the successful organization of the workshop. Emphasizing the key role played by women in socio-economic development, he stressed the importance of gender-responsive legislation and effective scrutiny.
In her keynote address, Dr. Shahida Rehmani highlighted the WPC’s cross-party efforts to advance gender equality, strengthen pro-women legislation, and enhance legislative scrutiny. Emphasizing well-drafted, enforceable laws, she encouraged active participation in the workshop to build consensus, improve legislative review, and ensure laws translate into meaningful change for women across Pakistan.
Country Representative of UN Women, Mr. Jamshed M. Kazi highlighted the importance of gender-responsive laws and the role of parliamentary institutions in advancing women’s rights. He highlighted the workshop’s aim to strengthen legislative scrutiny, build drafting confidence, and foster cross-party dialogue, ensuring women’s rights move from moral arguments to enforceable legal realities.
The technical sessions featured expert-led discussions on legislative scrutiny and drafting practices. Mr. Muhammad Khashih ur Rehman, Draftsman and Additional Secretary, Ministry of Law and Justice, led a session on tools and techniques for effective legislative scrutiny, focusing on analysing bills through a gender-responsive lens. This was followed by a session on building consensus for pro-women laws by Syed Shamoon Hashmi, Special Secretary, National Assembly of Pakistan, who shared practical insights drawn from parliamentary experience. In the afternoon, Mr. Sheikh Sarfraz Ahmed, Senior Drafting Specialist, conducted a hands-on workshop on drafting gender-responsive laws, guiding participants through practical approaches to embedding gender considerations in legislative texts.
The concluding session included remarks by Ms. Van Nguye, Deputy Resident Representative, UNDP, and Mr. Syed Ali Hameed, Founder and Chairperson, SFEA, who reiterated the importance of coordinated efforts among parliamentary institutions, development partners, and civil society. The workshop concluded with a vote of thanks by the Secretary Women’s Parliamentary Caucus, reaffirming the collective commitment to strengthening legislative scrutiny and ensuring effective implementation of pro-women laws in Pakistan.
