MUMBAI | Seeds in India held their second Mock Parliament program during which Mumbai students simulated the Pakistani National Assembly and assumed the role of several prominent Pakistani parliamentarians in order to present their individual and party perspective on given issues.
The objective is to understand and empathize with the conditions, compulsions, and constraints of the opposing government. The students had two orientation sessions in early August to familiarize themselves with the rules governing Parliament.
From August 8-10, over 60 students (including 20 Seeds) took part in and helped organize the Mock Parliament at the American Center Mumbai. V. Balachandran, a former intelligence official and special secretary to the Indian government, addressed the gathering at the inaugural session.
After deliberations over three days, the final session ended with a ‘resolution’ being passed, which the group then shared via a digital video conference with the Pakistani Seeds in Lahore. For many of the students, this was the first time they had a face-to-face encounter and exchange with Pakistani peers.