US trains 35 interns for the Parliament
By ADnan Rafique

ISLAMABAD—Thirty-five young interns were given an orientation by the Pakistan Legislative Strengthening Project (PLSP) to prepare for their work over the next six months with Members and Secretariats of the National Assembly (NA) and Senate of Pakistan.
This is the third batch of Parliamentary interns to be inducted in theNA, as part of a project funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Mission in Pakistan. The interns were given an intensive orientation including the historyof the 1973 Constitution - the basis of Pakistan’s governmental structures — an introduction to the role of Parliament in governing processes of Pakistan, and the critical importance of Legislative Research in achieving effective governance.
Through an open, competitive process covering some 400 applicants, the 35 intern designees were selected by a joint committee of the Senate and NA Secretariats, which included a grueling interview process on constitutional knowledge, historical framework of the Parliament, and contemporary issues.
Of the 35 interns, 25 will serve in the NA and ten in the Senate. Theinterns will be involved in a wide array of important legislative tasks and work with some of the top parliamentary leaders in Pakistan, including Committee Chairmen, Secretariat Staff, and other key officials. They will work for six months in ten committees in the NA and nine committees in the Senate, including the Public Accounts Committee, Legislation Branch, Question Branch, Standing Committees on Food, Agriculture & Livestock, Law and Human Rights, Local Government & Rural Development, and others. Jointly overseen by PLSP and the NA & Senate Secretariats, similarprograms are being initiated in the Provincial Assemblies of Balochistan, NWFP, Punjab and Sindh.
The Pakistan Legislative Strengthening Project (PLSP) is a two-yearinitiative funded by the USAID, and implemented under contract by Development Alternatives Inc. (DAI) in partnership with the national and provincial legislatures. The project aims at strengthening parliamentary institutions and processes. The PLSP’s focus is to improve the capacity of legislatures to carry out their representation, law-making, oversight and accountability functions. .
The project was initiated in September 2005 and will operate until September 2007. Support for PLSP is part of the $1.5 billion in aid that the U.S. Government will provide to Pakistan over the next five years to improve education, health, governance, and economic growth.