Minister calls for virtual assembly sessions

Suggests Sindh budget may be presented virtually

KARACHI: Calling for virtual assembly sessions, Sindh Information Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah claimed that Sindh’s budget for the upcoming fiscal year would be presented at a virtual session of the provincial assembly.

In a statement issued on Friday, he said the Sindh chief minister had reached out to the parliamentary leaders of various parties in this regard, in the hope that they would agree.

“Given the circumstances, the need of the hour is to convene virtual sessions for all the assemblies, including the National Assembly,” he insisted. “It is not possible to convene regular budget sessions in the assemblies where all lawmakers can physically participate during the pandemic.”

He pointed out that with modern technology, convening virtual assembly sessions would not be a problem, with lawmakers able to address the house and attend the session in full this way. He added that assistance could be sought in the matter from the Ministry of Information Technology and the Ministry of Science and Technology as well.

Meanwhile, the minister also claimed that the petrol crisis threatening the country was another clear example of the incompetence of the federal government. He demanded that a commission be set up to pinpoint those responsible for the fuel crisis, as well as to determine why there was such a crisis in Pakistan when the prices of petroleum products were at a historic low.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 13^th, 2020.