Gillani Calls for Student Unions Revival, Stronger LG
Senate Chairman Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani has called for student unions revival and a stronger local government system, saying the grassroots nurseries of leadership have gone dormant and must be revived.
He was 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. He added that the nurseries of leadership at the grassroots level had become dormant and needed to be revived to avert a leadership crisis in the country.
Nurseries of leadership have gone dormant
Gillani shared his own political journey with the workshop. He said he started his career at the local level and rose to become prime minister of Pakistan, serving in various constitutional capacities.
He said strong local governments at district and tehsil levels were vital for good governance, transparency and accountability. They were also vital for the effective use of public funds, he said.
The Senate chairman said transparent, efficient and responsible use of public resources was a constitutional responsibility of parliament. It was also essential for maintaining public trust, he said.
He said parliament’s role must extend beyond budget approval. It must ensure that national resources were properly used and that their benefits reached the people.
Budgetary allocations alone could not guarantee development outcomes, he said, unless funds were released on time, institutions fulfilled their responsibilities, and public spending translated into tangible improvements in people’s lives.
Public money must deliver results
Gillani said every rupee spent from the public exchequer must deliver measurable results in terms of economy, efficiency and effectiveness.
Given Pakistan’s 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 used for their intended purposes.
Referring to Sustainable Development Goal 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. They should examine the underlying causes, he said, 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 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.
Gillani thanked Unicef for its work on parliamentary oversight and accountability, and hoped the workshop would produce practical recommendations for better use of national resources.
Why student unions revival matters now
Student unions have been banned on Pakistani campuses since 1984. The ban cut off the route through which generations of politicians first learned organising, debate and public speaking. Sindh moved to restore student unions in 2022, but the rest of the country still has no elected student representation.
Gillani’s call also connects with the local government debate now running in Punjab. The PPP’s Punjab chapter has demanded devolution of power to local governments, and Punjab’s local government elections are scheduled in three phases in April 2027.
The Senate has also been pressing the devolution question from another angle. A Senate committee has sought a probe into Rs2.6 trillion spent on devolved ministries over 16 years. The National Accountability Bureau, meanwhile, recovered assets worth Rs241 billion in two months.
Gillani’s argument ties the two strands together. Without student unions, he said, the country loses its pipeline of future leaders. Without strong local governments, public money does not reach the people it is meant to serve.
Frequently asked questions
What did Yousaf Raza Gillani call for?
He called for the revival of student unions and a stronger local government system. He said both were essential for nurturing future leadership and strengthening democracy.
Where did he make the call?
At a workshop in Islamabad titled “Strengthening Parliamentary Oversight of Public Expenditure Management”, organised by Unicef on Wednesday.
Why have student unions been absent from campuses?
They were banned in Pakistan in 1984. Sindh moved to restore them in 2022, but elected student representation has not returned elsewhere.
What did he say about public money?
He said every rupee from the public exchequer must deliver measurable results. Parliament must go beyond approving budgets and ensure funds are released on time and reach the people they are meant for.
Who else spoke at the workshop?
Speaker Punjab Assembly Malik Mohammad Ahmad Khan, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, AJK Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Tariq Farooq, Auditor General Maqbool Ahmad Gondal and Unicef Representative Pernille Ironside.
