The 2nd meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) was held under the Chairmanship of Asad Qaiser, Speaker National Assembly of Pakistan on Thursday in the Constitution Room, Parliament House, Islamabad, with the following agenda:
Briefing on economic and business plan for revival of economy by adviser to the prime minister on finance and revenue and adviser to the prime minister on commerce, textile, industry & production and investment; briefing on coronavirus disease by special assistant to the prime minister on national health services, regulations and coordination and National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) chairman; and terms of reference and rules of procedure for the Parliamentary Committee on Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19), 2020.
The Committee highly appreciated the initiatives taken by Mr. Asad Qaiser, Speaker, National Assembly of Pakistan to Constitute a Parliamentary Committee on Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) comprising Leaders of Parliamentary Parties in the National Assembly and the Senate of Pakistan on 26th March, 2020 under the Convenership of the Honourable Speaker. The Speaker told the meeting that the main object to constitute the said Committee is to give the priority of inputs that would be obtained from the Members of the Parliament and the recommendations of the Committee would be forwarded to the Government for implementation. He told that before starting the discussion on the agenda, he added, a Sub-Committee under the Convenership of Mr. Azam Khan Swati, Minister for Narcotics Control was constituted on 6th April, 2020 comprising on 6 Members. The meeting of said Sub-Committee was held on 8th April, 2020 and finalized its ToRs and Rules of Procedure for the Parliamentary Committee and allowed the Convener of said Committee to present its Report to the Committee. The Honourable Speaker appreciated the collected efforts of the Sub-Committee for finalizing its Report. He was given full opportunities to all the Parliamentary Leaders for discussion on said ToRs and Rules of Procedure for its approval by the Committee and if consensus will not develop on any ToRs it will be considered on next meeting. He allowed to the Convener of Sub-Committee to present its Reports including Rules of Procedure for conducting the Committee, after detailed discussion, the ToRs approved by the Committee with slightly amendment in ToR No.3 were as under:
1. To create and promote national harmony amongst federal and federating units including Gilgit Baltistan and Azad Jammu & Kashmir for evolving unanimous narrative on the issues relating to current pandemic (COVID-19).
2. Parliamentarian should be given monitoring role Viz-a-Vis NDMA and relief operations.
3. How often the Committee should meet (it depends upon Honourable Speaker, National Assembly of Pakistan)?
4. How efficiently we can use this forum, Parliament and Standing Committees to perform their functions in wake of this pandemic?
5. How can we mobilize all our resources at all levels to ensure our health system effectively functioning?
6. Coronavirus in Pakistan is interlinked with poverty and hunger. What immediate innovative steps besides already being taken by Governments at all levels need to be identified and enforced to evolve strategy and mechanism to ensure provision of basic essential edibles to the needy & poor?
7. To oversee the Testing facilities throughout the country and bureaucratic bottlenecks, if any, should quickly be removed in procuring immediate necessary health related items at all levels.
8. To take measures and steps to ensure and facilitate the role of private Sector Health Services in regard to COVID-19.
9. SOPs of the NDMA to ensure equitable distribution of cash/relief packages to needy avoiding overlapping from various agencies of the Federal and Provincial Governments and taking all NGOs and civil society on board.
10. What immediate steps are required to protect the Economy?
11. To engage Media in creating and promoting National narrative on COVID-19.
3. The Speaker further told that the follow up to be obtained on the recommendations of the Committee and the representatives of Provinces to be called in the next meeting for taking inputs on the disease as well as efforts being made at their end. The next meeting of the Committee will be held on 20th April, 2020, he added. A Committee was constituted was last day on Tablighi Jamaat and task was given to Mr. Shehryar Afridi, Minister for State and Frontier Region for resolving the issue of said Jamaat. Balance discussion was made in said Committee,he further added.
4. The Opposition Members raised a number of questions in the Committee for the non-availability of ventilators, testing kits and other equipments required for Coronavirus Disease and utilization of funds received for said Disease by the Government were:
what were the functions of the Committee, what Role and procedure will be adopted by the Government for distributions of Food & Medical Items at UC level, whether elected representatives to be included in distributions items relating to said disease, whether a representation will be given in NDMA and National Health Services Regulation and Coordination, whether non-deserving persons will be deleted from the present data being utilize for distributions of Food and other Items, whether Government is adopting China Model, whether Funds allocated for research relating to said disease and whether Province wise breakup will be provided about the activities relating to the said disease to Committee.
5. The Foreign Minister told the Committee that main object of the Committee is to collect inputs form Political Leaders and send to NCOC for Implementation and NCC for taking further inputs and decisions and the Role of Parliamentary Committee would be oversight the activities made by the Government relating to COVID-19. He added that distributions of food items will be provided to 12 million persons as per old data and 4 million persons as per new data and prescribed procedure is being finalized for distributions of food items, EPPs and Test Kits and all data will be available on website.
6. Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, Minister for Railways told in meeting that the data of BISP is consisted on Parliamentarian of PPPP and PML-N. Tests of Coronavirus patients should be increased and ventilators are short in the county, he added.
7. Mr. Muhammad Hamad Azhar, Minister told in the meeting that SOPs for distributions of food items have been provided to the Government of Punjab and NGOs. The old procedure for distributions of food items in District levels was not good, he added. Uniform policy had been made with the consultation of Provinces for opening of Industries and shops, he further added.
8. Advisor to the Prime Minister on Finance Minister & Revenue and Advisor to the Prime Minister on Commerce and Textile highlighted by Video Link on present position of their Ministries.
