Daily Times

The all parties parliamentary committee of Punjab Assembly formed by its Speaker Ch Pervaiz Elahi has urged the government to expand the testing in order to contain the COVID-19 in the province.

The special parliamentary committee having representation of all the parties in Punjab Assembly was constituted by Speaker Ch Pervaiz Elahi to give input to the government over the corona pandemic. The first meeting of the committee was chaired by Speaker Elahi on Friday through video link in which all the members of the committee also participated. Provincial minister for law and parliamentary affairs Raja Basharat briefed the committee regarding the measures being taken by the government to contain the pandemic in the province. He also tried to satisfy the MPAs and their apprehensions by taking them into confidence regarding the arrangements made so far by the provincial government. The parliamentary leader of Pakistan People’s Party Syed Hassan Murtaza, MPAs Sardar Awais Laghari, Samiullah Khan, Kh Salman Rafique of PML-N, Nazir Chohan, Amin Zulqarnain of PTI, Sajid Khan Bhatti from PML-Q, Maulana Muavia Azam from Rah-e-Haq Party and independent MPA Malik Ahmad Ali Aulakh attended the meeting through video link. Secretary Punjab Assembly Muhammad Khan Bhatti and DG Parliamentary Affairs Anayat Ullah Lak were also present on the occasion.

As per the details, the MPAs present in the meeting including Speaker Elahi urged the government to expand the testing of suspected patients of COVID-19 in the province to get the real picture. The participants also demanded that arrangements should be made by the government in the mosques during the holy month of Ramazan that is also inching closer. They were of the view that the government must arrange the sanitizers at the wheat procurement centres in the whole province as the wheat season is just here. The MPAs said that the test of COVID-19 must be free and the testing kits should be available in maximum numbers to get the real picture of the virus. The participants also demanded to open the OPDs in all the DHQs and THQs hospitals in the province. They further demanded to start the dengue spray in the province as the dengue season is also round the coroner. The committee asked the government to continue the briefing to the participants as it represents the parliament.

Talking to the MPAs, Speaker Elahi hoped that the government will implement the suggestions given by the committee. He also paid his gratitude to all the MPAs who participated in the meeting through their representatives. Elahi also asked the Provincial Disaster Management Authority to play an active role in this time of crisis.

Speaking to Daily Times, the parliamentary leader of PPP Syed Hassan Murtaza said that he gave his suggestions during the first meeting and it will be determined in second meeting that how much the government is serious in implementing the proposals given by the MPAs. “I gave a suggestion to give relief to the poor people by exempting them from the utility bills up to 5000 rupees for some months,” said PPP leader. He was of the view that there is a need to strictly implement the lockdown in the whole province because it is the only medicine to fight the COVID-19. I gave them a suggestion to convene the meeting twice a week over the situation of corona virus in the province because this committee is the only forum left in the absence of the parliament for the MPAs, said the PPP lawmaker.