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 YOUTH PARLIAMENT
 PAKISTAN 2007-08
 

 YOUTH PARLIAMENT
 PAKISTAN 2008-09
 

Q 1. What is Youth Parliament Pakistan?

Q 2. How will the Youth Parliament Pakistan project help Youth?

Q 3. Who is executing and supporting the Youth Parliament Pakistan project?

Q 4. Is there a stipend or salary for members of Youth Parliament Pakistan?

Q 17. How can I apply for membership to Youth Parliament Pakistan?

Q 18. What are the selection criteria for membership of Youth Parliament Pakistan?

Q 19. Can Government Employees apply for membership of Youth Parliament Pakistan?

Q 20. What is Youth Parliament Pakistan Steering Committee and what are its functions?

Q 21. What will be the process and venue of interviews for selection?

Structure and Functioning of Youth Parliament Pakistan

Q 22. How is the Youth Parliament Pakistan structured?

Q 23. Does Youth Parliament have its own Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business?

Q 24. How many political parties are there at Youth Parliament Pakistan?

Q 25. How often does the Youth Parliament Pakistan meet?

Q 26. What is the venue of Youth Parliament Pakistan?

Q 27. What will be the key functions of the Youth Parliament Pakistan?

Q 28. Will there be any special meetings or events at the sessions of Youth Parliament Pakistan?

Q 29. Can I take leave during the Youth Parliament Pakistan Sessions?

Q 30. Can visitors observe the proceedings of the Youth Parliament Pakistan sessions?

Q 1. What is Youth Parliament Pakistan?

A. Youth Parliament Pakistan is a project conceived and executed by PILDAT under which Pakistanis between the ages of 18-29 years are invited to become members of the Youth Parliament Pakistan. The Youth Parliament Pakistan has a total of 60 members selected from across Pakistan on the basis of their Expression of Interest Form and interviews by a Steering Committee. In the Youth Parliament Pakistan 2009-10, overseas Pakistani can also apply for membership.
 

Q 2. How will the Youth Parliament Pakistan project help Youth?

A. The Youth Parliament Pakistan project is an initiative to engage Pakistani youth in a healthy discourse and expose them to democratic process and practices. The Youth Parliament Pakistan is an avenue for young Pakistanis to inculcate democratic culture and spirit of tolerance for others views among them. Additionally, participation in the Youth Parliament can groom themselves for a career in politics, if they so wish, or just to expose them to better understand the role of politics and democratic decision-making in the country. The project allows the youth to express their views on a number of national, international, regional and local issues. This help the society and the Government to better understand the concerns of the youth. 
 

A. The Youth Parliament project has been conceived and is being executed by Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development And Transparency - PILDAT which is an independent, non-profit and non-partisan research and training institution dedicated to strengthening democracy and democratic institutions in Pakistan. PILDAT is serving as the secretariat of the Youth Parliament Pakistan. The project is supported by the Global Opportunities Fund of the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office. In addition some individual and corporate sponsors also sponsor seats for those members who can not afford to pay their membership cost.
 

A. The Youth Parliament Pakistan is a membership-based project. It is not an employment or internship opportunity for Youth; therefore, there is no salary to be paid to those who are selected as members of the Youth Parliament Pakistan.
 

Q 5.  Would there be any Membership Fee for joining the Youth Parliament Pakistan?

A.   The membership fee for each member for each Youth Parliament session will be Pak Rs. 50,000. The entire cost of the membership of the full one-year term for each membership would be Pak Rs. 250,000. 
 

A. The Youth Parliament Secretariat will provide 50% subsidy of the cost to all the selected members of the Youth Parliament Pakistan through the courtesy of British Foreign and Commonwealth Office through the British High Commission, Islamabad. Members will be asked to pay the remaining 50% of the fee (Rs. 25,000 per session).
 

A.  Those members who are found to be financially constrained (according to the criteria set be the Youth Parliament Pakistan Steering Committee) and not able to pay the remaining 60% of the membership fee will be given fellowship through corporate, private and public sponsorships. Please note that no qualified applicant will be denied membership of the Youth Parliament Pakistan on account of financial reasons The Overseas Pakistanis and Honorary Members will, however, pay for their entire cost, i.e. Rs. 50,000 per session.
 

A. Overseas Pakistani Youth may apply for the membership at the two summer sessions. They should have a Pakistani Origin Card and their age should be between 18-29 years. Their will be a special category of Honorary Members which would include from the UK and other foreign countries who have rendered services for the cause of  youth and were former or are current members of Youth Parliaments in their countries. They can apply for the membership to a summer or other session.
 

A. The overseas Pakistani Youth and the honorary guests may apply for the membership to a summer or other session while the members from the Pakistani Youth have to apply for the membership of full one-year term or may also apply for the two sessions during summers. 
 

A. The Overseas Members of Youth Parliament and the Honorary Members will have to arrange for the travel costs and other expenses on their own. The Steering Committee will only provide for the travel costs for any organised visits during the Parliamentary sessions.
 

A. Youth Parliament is a simulation of the Parliament of Pakistan. Its main objectives are to educate the Pakistani Youth about politics and democracy and to demonstrate to the Youth how the Parliamentarians are able to make legislation, to debate matters of national and international concerns, to demand accountability from those in government, to discuss matters in committees, to change government without recourse to civil disorder and to make and enforce their own rules of conduct.
 

A. The Youth Parliament Steering Committee will monitor the performance of each of the Members of Youth Parliament. Steering Committee will review the status and will have the authority to make final decision about the performance of each member.
 

Q 13. What kind of evidence do I need to provide to seek Financial Assistance?

A. The Youth Parliament is based on the principle that no qualified applicant will be denied membership on the basis of financial reasons. Those candidates, who will demonstrate the need for partial or full cost remission, will be provided scholarships instituted by the sponsors. Applicants have to provide documents that prove their eligibility to apply for the scholarship. This evidence could include applicant's own pay slip, father's pay slip, bank statement etc.
 

A. The membership fee will be paid once the members have been finalised after the interview. The payment should preferably be paid all at once but in certain cases it could be paid in 2 installments as well.
 

A. The completed Expression of Interest Form has to be submitted at the following address:

Youth Parliament Secretariat
Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development And Transparency - PILDAT
No. 7, 9th Avenue, F-8/1, Islamabad, Pakistan
Ph: (051) 111 123 345 Fax: (051) 226 3078
E-mail: info@youthparliament.pk
 

A. Yes, the Expression of Interest (EOI) form can be filled and submitted online. However, the documents required by the candidate with the EOI forms which are copy of CNIC/POC, Domicile Certificate, four recent photographs (Passport Size Coloured) or any other document as required, must be sent by mail to the Youth Parliament Secretariat address.
 

A. Advertisement for Expression of Interests for membership are placed in a leading English and Urdu Daily newspaper prior to the start of the term in each year.
 

Q 18. What is the selection criteria for membership of the Youth Parliament Pakistan?

A. All Pakistani citizens who were 18 years of age and less than 29 years of age on cut-off date mentioned in advertisement/PILDAT website are eligible to apply for membership of the Youth Parliament Pakistan. No bar is placed on educational qualification for membership. However Urdu comprehension, writing and reading is declared necessary for applying for membership of Youth Parliament. Any citizen with a criminal record is not eligible to apply for membership of the Youth Parliament Pakistan.
 

Q 19. Can Government Employees apply for membership of the Youth Parliament Pakistan?

A. Yes, all Pakistanis within the age of 18-29 years are eligible to apply for membership of the Youth Parliament. Government and other employees, however, are required to submit a No Objection Certificate signed by their competent authority, alongside Expression of Interest Form. Those employed, be that in Government or private jobs, also need to specifically mention that they will be in a position to devote complete time to the Youth Parliament Pakistan sessions and related activities if selected for membership. 
 

A. The Youth Parliament Pakistan Steering Committee has been formed by PILDAT to oversee the selection process and effective functioning of the Youth Parliament Pakistan project. The Steering Committee comprises of sitting MNAs amongst others. Members of the Steering Committee  are involved in selection process and overseeing the functioning of the Youth Parliament Pakistan.
 

A. Selection process for membership is two-tiered. At the first tier, Expression of Interest Forms will be evaluated and candidates are short listed for interview. Only those candidates are invited for interview who will be short listed in the first round of selection. Interviews will be conducted mainly at Islamabad; however, given the number of short listed candidates from one region, interviews can also be conducted at provincial capitals. Choosing the venue of interviews is solely based on the discretion of PILDAT.
 

A. As a model Parliament for young people the Youth Parliament Pakistan is generally patterned after the National Assembly of Pakistan although its membership is smaller than that of the National Assembly. Wherever possible, the Youth Parliament Pakistan follows the rules of procedures as close to the National Assembly as practical. However better practices from other Parliaments are adopted to expose Pakistani youth to better parliamentary practices.
 

A. The Youth Parliament Pakistan has its own rules of Procedure and Conduct of business drafted learning from the National assembly Rules and from other Youth Parliaments around the world.
 

A. There are two political parties-The Blue Party and the Green Party with their own distinct party planks. Joining either one of the parties is obligatory for members.
 

A. The Youth Parliament Pakistan meets for a minimum of 30 days at 5 sessions during its one year term
 

A. The sessions of the Youth Parliament Pakistan are held at a local hotel in Islamabad.
 

A. Like other parliaments, members of the Youth Parliament Pakistan carry out functions such as debate on important national and international issues, legislation, oversight of the executive, preparation and review of policies etc,
 

Q 28. Will there be any special meetings or events at the sessions of the Youth Parliament Pakistan?

A. Special Events and Meetings are arranged during the sessions of the Youth Parliament Pakistan such as meetings with distinguished personalities including the Prime Minister of Pakistan, political leadership, Members of the Parliament, etc. Distinguished guests are also invited to address the Youth Parliament Pakistan sessions on issues coinciding with the topics of debate at each session.
 

A. Members can avail up to a maximum of 5 days leave during the entire one-year term of the Youth Parliament Pakistan only after submitting a leave application along with a proof for the reason of leave. Members risk losing their seats if they are absent for more than the number of days allowed.
 

A. The Youth Parliament Pakistan has a Visitors Gallery where guests and any visitors are welcome to observe the proceedings of the plenary sessions.
 

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