Professional Experience:
I have worked for major non-profit organisations in Pakistan like Aurat Foundation, South Asia Partnership Pakistan (SAP-PK), Pakistan Institute for Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDAT), with the multilateral organisations like UNDP, European Union and with international donors like DFID as part of their programs focussed on democratic governance (especially the parliamentary development & elections assistance), gender, conflict resolution, communications, resource mobilisation, etc.) for over two decades.
I have actively worked for parliamentary development and legislative transparency in Pakistan, headed teams of long and short term projects of UNDP and EU.
During my direct work with Pakistan's parliamentary institutions, I have worked assiduously to support parliamentary parties in establishing powerful parliamentary blocs on issues like extremism, minorities rights, National Action Plan to counter terrorism, Sustainable Development Goals, climate change, and women's rights. Among these, the Women's Parliamentary Caucuses as well as the Parliamentary Task Forces on SDGs at national and subnational levels, have been the success story. After lobbying for their establishment, I worked very closely with them and assisted them to develop their institutional structures, long-term strategic plans, and shorter term (annual) action plans alongside frameworks of monitoring and capacity building.
I have worked very closely with the Standing Committees of the parliamentary institutions in Pakistan and have assisted them in strengthening their institutional structures, their human resources, their long term strategic programming and their work in performing their constitutional functions (legislation and oversight). In 2012, the then Speaker of the House, conferred on me the Friend of the Parliament Award alongside including me in the high profile Technical Working Group for the strengthening of parliamentary Committees. In recognition of my services for human rights, fundamental freedoms, and restoration of democracy, the President of Pakistan conferred on me the National Human Rights Award in 2010.