In a first, Pakistan’s parliamentary business suspended due to COVID-19 scare

ISLAMABAD: For the first time in Pakistan’s history, 

the parliamentary business of the country has been suspended due to the scare of novel Coronavirus with the legislation as well as the meetings of the standing committees of both houses of the parliament suspended forthwith.

An official at the Parliament House told Pakistan Today that the Speaker National Assembly Asad Qaisar had abruptly prorogued the ongoing session of the National Assembly on Friday which was scheduled to continue till March 19.

The official said that the decision had been taken in view of the decisions taken at the exclusive meeting of the Cabinet Committee on National Security chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan and attended by all the services chiefs and high ranking civilian bureaucracy.

The National Assembly had to discuss the presidential address besides already decided debates on situation in Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi carnage, agriculture reforms and foreign policy.

The official said that the National Assembly had also to take up a heavy business of legislation as key bills were up for grabs at the Parliament.

The official said that the Speaker also suspended all the Standing Committees of the National Assembly including the Public Accounts Committee. The official said that the Speaker has yet not made up his mind whether the review would take place after April 5, the date set by the Cabinet Committee on National Security for future decisions.

An official at the Senate told Pakistan Today that Chairman Senate Sadiq Sanjrani has suspended the Senate session till April 5 and a future decision would be taken after a review of the situation after two weeks’ time.

The official said that the parliamentary proceedings and the holding of the standing committees have been suspended for the first time in the country’s 72-year history. The official said that the parliamentary business has never been suspended even in war times but for the first time this step has been taken by both the houses of the parliament due to the serious nature of scare posed by novel Coronavirus.