The first batch of 15 students for placement as interns with the standing committees of the National Assembly has been selected. An Inauguration and Orientation Ceremony was held at Islamabad on June 21, 2004 to mark the occasion. Deputy Speaker Sardar Muhammad Yaqub was the chief guest on the occasion while Malik Allah Yar Khan, Chairman Public Accounts Committee, Mr. Shah Mehmood Qureshi, MNA and Deputy Secretary General Pakistan Peoples Party and Maulana Ghafoor Haidry, MNA MMA (JUI-F) were speakers on the occasion. Mr. Lawrence Hardy, Deputy Head of USAID Mission in Pakistan also spoke on the occasion.

Click here to view the list of selected interns

Following are the various details about the Parliamentary Internship Programme:

1. Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development And Transparency � PILDAT, as a part of the Pakistan Legislative Strengthening Consortium � PLSC, supported by the USAID has launched a Parliamentary Internship Programme for the first time in Pakistan.
2. Through this programme, students are being placed as interns with the standing committees of the National Assembly and the Punjab Assembly during June � August, 2004.
3. A stipend of Rs. 7000 a month will be paid to selected interns.
4. Parliamentary Internship Programme is an internationally accepted and practised programme and major universities/academic institutions and Legislatures of developed democracies of North America, Europe, Australia and part of Asia practise this.
5. PILDAT, as an organisation devoted to strengthening democracy and democratic institutions in Pakistan, felt that generally the youth of the country is very aloof and disinterested in politics, especially legislative politics. Secondly, as is the condition in six (6) legislatures of Pakistan, the committees, as well as individual legislators work unassisted in carrying out their functions.
6. The objective behind the Parliamentary Internship Programme is to inculcate an active interest of legislative politics in the youth of the country through their exposure to the legislatures, as well as to provide national and provincial legislatures with an opportunity to benefit from the fresh perspective and research support by student interns.
7. PILDAT invited expressions of interest from 100 public and private institutions recognised by Higher Education Commission � HEC from across Pakistan.
8. Fifty-seven (57) academic institutions, 33 public and 24 private sent expressions of interest.
9. PILDAT received a total of 240 applications from the disciplines of IT, Management, Social Sciences, Engineering, Economics and Medicine. 67% of these applications were from public institutions while 33% were from private institutions. 41% of these applications were from Punjab, 20% from Federal Capital, 19% from NWFP, 17% from Sindh and 3% from Baluchistan. The gender break-up in applications was 69% male and 31% female students.
10. A Selection Committee, comprising veteran academicians, representative of Higher Education Commission, representatives of the National Assembly and the Punjab Assembly and Senator S. M. Zafar, Chairman PILDAT Board of Advisors selected the candidates through evaluation of applications and an interview process.
11. Six (6) interns were selected for placement with the Punjab Assembly. These included one student from Bahauddin Zakariya University Multan, three students from Lahore University of Management Sciences, one student from National College of Business Administration and Economics and one student from University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore. The gender break-up was 3 male and 3 female students.
12. Deputy Speaker of Punjab Assembly, Sardar Shaukat Hussain Mazari was the chief guest at the inauguration ceremony for Punjab Assembly Parliamentary Internship Programme while Mr. Qasim Zia, Leader of the Opposition Punjab Assembly and Mrs. Ashifa Riaz Fatiana, Provincial Minister for Women Development also spoke on the occasion.
13. In the first phase of interview and selection process for selection of interns with the National Assembly, the first batch of fifteen (15) interns was selected, the details for which are: five (5) students are female, while ten (10) are male; twelve (12) students are from public institutions while three (3) are from private institutions; four (4) students belong to the federal capital, one (1) student from FANA; five (5) students from Punjab; two (2) from Sindh and three (3) from NWFP. For further details on names and names of institutions, see the attached list of first batch of interns for placement with national assembly. 14. Interviews for the selection of remaining 23 interns for national assembly will be held in the last week of June.
15. PILDAT has compiled a detailed Manual of the Parliamentary Internship Programme covering every detail and aspect of the Programme. Copies of Manual will be distributed to selected interns, Academic Contact Persons and the Supervising Secretaries of the Assemblies.
16. All interns will be required to submit a research report of approx. 5000 words before the completion of their internship period. This will contribute towards the requirement of successful completion of internship.
17. PILDAT, in association with Assembly Secretariats, will hold certificate distribution ceremony for successful interns.