ISLAMABAD: Senate Chairman Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani has called for the revival of student unions, a stronger local government system and effective parliamentary oversight to revive dormant nurseries of leadership at the grassroots level and address the leadership vacuum in the country.
He expressed these views while addressing a workshop titled ‘Strengthening Parliamentary Oversight of Public Expenditure Management’, organised by Unicef on Wednesday.
“Student union, local government system are essential for nurturing future leadership and strengthening democracy,” the Senate chairman said, adding that the nurseries of leadership at the grassroots level have become dormant and need to be revived to avert a leadership crisis in the country.
Sharing his own political journey, he said he started his career at the local level and rose to become prime minister of Pakistan, serving in various constitutional capacities. He emphasised that strong local governments at district and tehsil levels were vital for good governance, transparency, accountability and effective utilisation of public funds.
The Senate chairman emphasised that transparent, efficient and responsible utilisation of public resources was a constitutional responsibility of the parliament and essential for maintaining public trust.
He said parliament’s role must extend beyond budget approval to ensure that national resources were properly utilised and their benefits reached the people. He stressed that budgetary allocations alone could not guarantee development outcomes unless funds were released timely, institutions fulfilled their responsibilities and public expenditure translated into tangible improvements in people’s lives.
He underscored that every rupee spent from the public exchequer must deliver measurable results in terms of economy, efficiency and effectiveness.
Highlighting Pakistan’s development challenges and limited financial resources, he stressed the need for effective parliamentary oversight of key sectors, including education, health, nutrition, sanitation and social protection.
He said parliamentary committees must ensure that resources reached deserving segments of society and were utilised for their intended purposes.
Referring to Sustainable Development Goal 16 (SDG 16), he noted that accountable, transparent and effective institutions were fundamental to sustainable development.
He urged Public Accounts Committees to move beyond identifying financial irregularities and examine their underlying causes, including weak planning, internal controls, procurement procedures and project implementation, while recommending institutional reforms and corrective measures.
He also called for prioritising audit observations on the basis of financial significance, recurring irregularities, systemic weaknesses and their impact on public interest.
The workshop was also addressed by Speaker Punjab Assembly Malik Mohammad Ahmad Khan, Federal Minister for Planning and Development Prof. Ahsan Iqbal, Speaker Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly Chaudhry Tariq Farooq, Auditor General of Pakistan Maqbool Ahmad Gondal and Unicef Representative in Pakistan Pernille Ironside and other participants.
The Senate chairman appreciated Unicef’s efforts to strengthen parliamentary oversight, transparency and public financial accountability, expressing the hope that the workshop would generate practical recommendations to ensure effective utilisation of national resources and bring meaningful improvements in the lives of the people.
Published in Dawn, November 12th, 2026
