Sanjrani forwards names of senators for panel on virus

Committee to recommend measures to quell the threat of COVID-19

ISLAMABAD: Having representation from all political parties, the Senate chairman has forwarded the names of 15 senators to the National Assembly (NA) speaker for the formation of a parliamentary committee to oversee measures taken by the government to stem the tide of coronavirus in the country.

National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser in a meeting on Saturday had requested Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani to forward the names of lawmakers for constituting a parliamentary committee on COVID-19.

The names of senators for consideration in the parliamentary committee are: Shibli Faraz, Raja Zafarul Haq, Azam Swati, Mushahidullah Khan, Sherry Rehman, Muhammad Ali Saif, Hasil Bizenjo, Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, Usman Kakar, Sirajul Haq, Sitara Ayaz, Jahanzeb Jamaldini, Muzaffar Hussain Shah, Anwarul Haq Kakar and Aurangzeb Khan.

During the meeting, the senate chairman lauded the initiative to form a parliamentary committee to tackle this unprecedented challenge.

He maintained it was incumbent upon the political leadership to jointly devise a strategy as the cases of virus were being reported from all over the country.

Sanjrani praised the political leadership for standing together in this difficult time saying that with the help of the Almighty, the country would be able to prevent the spread of the virus.

He emphasized that it was the social responsibility of every citizen, parliamentarian and employee to avoid unnecessary gatherings at this critical time.

The NA speaker also urged the parliamentary leaders from the lower house to send the names so that the panel could start functioning at the earliest and forward its recommendations to the government to cope up with the pandemic.

Noting that the coronavirus had become a global issue which brought serious implications for the world economies, the speaker said that the virus adversely affected the economy of the country and posed multiple challenges in the coming days.

He observed the committee would also give its recommendations to the government on the economic front.

The NA speaker advised the nation to remain united in the fight against the deadly disease.

Later, Interior Minister Ijaz Shah had a meeting with the NA speaker where both discussed the prevailing situation with reference to outbreak of coronavirus and role of law enforcement agencies in the country.

“A heavy responsibility of protecting the lives of citizens lies upon the law enforcement. People should follow the instructions given by the government,” Qaiser said.

The interior minister praised the role of speaker in forging unity among the political leadership in time of crisis.

He apprised the speaker about the steps taken by the government saying that everyone at the borders and airports was being scanned and those suspected of carrying the virus symptoms were being quarantined.