Senate Standing Committee on Interior Chairman Senator A Rehman Malik on Monday said that our country unfortunately will have drastic increase in the cases of coronavirus because of no social distancing and government confusion about lockdown.
He said that the steps are non-serious and the advice of World Health Organization (WHO) is not being followed in markets and streets and other public places. He has advised the Prime Minister to deal the Coronavirus as per WHO’s SOPs. He said that he wishes the Government had followed his 37 points Anti-Coronavirus National Action Plan proposed earlier on February 27th when only two cases were confirmed across the country. He said that his 37 Points Anti-Coronavirus National Action Plan contained full SOP and was approved by the Senate Standing Committee on Interior and had handed over to the Secretary Health, all provincial governments and all concerned departments. The situation would far different and better if those 37 points were followed in true letter and spirit. He said that neither he is criticizing nor doing any blame game but being the Chairman Senate Standing Committee on Interior, he feels that it will be his failure in national duty if do not point the mistakes. He said that our survival is in complete lockdown and there is nothing called smart lockdown in the law.
Discussion on Force Majeure Law in Parliament: Senator A. Rehman Malik reinforced his proposal to discuss in the Senate session to invoke the force majeure law to get relief on external debt. In this regard, in separate letters, he wrote to opposition leader in Senate Raja Zafar ul Haq and Advisor for Parliamentary Affairs Dr. Babar Awan to consider to support his two Resolutions in the Senate Session to be commenced tomorrow at May 12, 2020. He said that the Senate session is being summoned in very difficult moments when the nation is confronted with deadly Coronavirus therefore it should be meaningful and result-oriented. He said that in this regard, he has already submitted two resolutions to the Senate Secretariat and has also written a letter to Prime Minister Imran Khan suggesting that the international financial institutions should be requested under force majeure law for deferment of repayments and loans in wake of the adverse effects of coronavirus on Pakistan’s economy. He said that his resolutions for seeking a debate on invoking the force majeure law and advising the government to not take further foreign loans are purely in the national interest and must not be treated as resolutions from the opposition.
In his letters to opposition leader in the Senate Raja Zafar ul Haq and Advisor on Parliamentary Affairs, Senator A. Rehman Malik has highlighted the importance of invoking the ‘Force Majeure Law’ and has urged that while taking it as a matter of greater national and common interest, his resolutions may be adopted by the house after a thorough discussion and due diligence. With his letter, Senator A. Rehman Malik has also attached the 37-points report of the Senate Standing Committee on Interior which was made part of the proceeding of the Suo Moto Case on Coronavirus by Supreme Court of Pakistan. Both the Resolutions, one seeking the Senate debate on invoking of Force-Majeure Law by the government to write off Pakistan foreign debts and the second resolution advising the government to avoid taking further new foreign debts on Coronavirus were also sent to them.
Senator A. Rehman Malik writes to leader of the opposition that he feels that having the above two Resolutions passed from both Houses in the upcoming Senate and National Assembly Sessions will give good strength and backup support to the government to negotiate the best package from International Creditors to write-off our foreign debts. In his letters, he has expressed that at the end of the day, the public would like to know as to what did we achieve from this special session hence, he requests that we must do some legislation on epidemic for creating national SOPs and for improvement of the health sector to raise our status from 154th bottom position to at least first 10 by improving it.
Importance of Force Majeure Law to Write-Off Foreign Debts: Senator A. Rehman Malik said the force majeure clause typically applies in cases of a natural disaster, an ‘act of God’ such as an earthquake or pandemic, war or terrorist attacks, or government policy or law changes, or a third party who fails in the provision of goods or services. Force majeure is put into place in order to protect parties from external variables out of their control, he added. He said the force majeure law was the most suitable tool to get the foreign loans written off or seeking a 10-year deferment on repayments. He said since production units, services industries, airlines, and exports were closed due to the pandemic and all revenue generating sources were drying up rapidly and Pakistan will be having major adverse effects of the global economic meltdown which will be far worse than post 9/11. He said that it was his national duty to point out in time to my nation, parliament, government, and opposition that we are being pushed to the precipice of world recession by Covic-19.
