Islamabad (24 Dec.) In a PILDAT Consultative Session on the question �should there be a best legislator of year award,� MPs, media persons, academics and analysts unanimously appreciated PILDAT initiative of instituting a Legislator of the Year Award and suggested that a multi-stakeholder committee should set an objective criteria and nominate for MP of the Year award.

Many members of the Parliament, media persons, civil society and Youth Parliament members were present on the occasion.

Participants supported and lauded the PILDAT idea of giving a best legislator award and discussed and gave suggestions including various aspects of criteria and the nature of the award.

It was decided that PILDAT will form a committee in which media persons who cover parliament sessions, ex parliamentarians with unbiased opinion, members of citizens groups, academics and relevant veteran legislative staffers should be involved.

Parliamentarians and parliamentary reporters identified various aspects of what should constitute criteria such as attendance and participation in the parliamentary sessions, legislative initiatives, etc.

In his opening remarks PILDAT Executive Director Mr. Ahmed Bilal Mehboob said that PILDAT believes that Pakistani MPs have hardest responsibilities among international MPs in terms of the nature of demands on their time in the constituency as well as the demands in the legislature that they are supposed to carry out completely unassisted. While PILDAT monitors the performance of the institution of Parliament periodically, we feel MPs should always be acknowledged for their performance so that it serves both as an appreciation for their efforts as well as an incentive. That is the rationale behind the consultation on how should such an award be constituted in Pakistan. He gave examples that Indian Parliament has such an award while UK and USA have such traditions too.

Prominent among participants were Senator Tahir Mashadi, Justice(r) fakhar ul Nisa, Senator Fozia Fakhar Zaman, MNA Dr. Donya Aziz, Humayon Saifullah, Nisar Tanveer, Fauzia Ijaz , Imrana Saeed, Pervaiz Khan, General (Retd.) Abdul Qadir Baloch, Malik Shakir Bashir, Farkhanda Waraich and Malik Azmat Khan, etc.