ISLAMABAD: The Parliamentary Committee on COVID-19 will hold its first meeting today.
The committee comprises National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaisar along with a 25-member bipartisan committee of the lawmakers having members from both the Houses of the Parliament.
The meeting will include a briefing to legislators by Adviser to Prime Minister on Finance Dr Abdul Hafeez Sheikh and Adviser on Commerce and Industry Abdul Razak Dawood with regard to the impact of coronavirus pandemic on the country’s economy and on the measures to be taken for its revival.
A briefing by Special Assistant to PM on Health Dr Zafar Mirza and Chairman National Disaster Management Authority Lt Gen Muhammad Afzal will also be included regarding the current situation and the steps taken for the relief to the people.
The committee has been formed to periodically review, monitor and oversee issues related to coronavirus disease and its impact on the economy and implementation of National Plan of Action on Coronavirus with a view to ensuring its expeditious implementation. A sub-committee would be appointed to prepare detailed ToRs and the periodical report of the committee will be presented to both the Houses of the Parliament.
Earlier, Asad Qaisar said the parliamentary committee will keep an eye on all the activities on coronavirus and will take immediate action where ever it notices any dereliction of duty. He had said that the government would put its policy before the parliamentary committee on economic issues and plan of action to take it out from the present crunch.
The committee comprises federal ministers Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, Chaudhry Tariq Bashir Cheema, MNAs Khawaja Muhammad Asif, Raja Pervez Ashraf (nominee of PPP parliamentary leader), Maulana Asad Mehmood, Khalid Hussain Magsi, Nawabzada Shah Zain Bughti, Amir Haider Khan Hoti, Muhammad Akthar Mengal and Ghaus Bux Khan Mehar.
Leaders from Senate included in the committee are senators Leader of House in the Senate Syed Shibli Faraz, Mushahidullah Khan, Sherry Rehman, Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif, Aurangzeb Khan, Mir Hasil Khan Bizenjo, Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Hyderi, Sirajul Haq, Muhammad Usman Khan Kakar, Sitara Ayaz, Dr Jehanzeb Jamaldini, Syed Muzaffar Hussain Shah and Anwaar ul Haq Kakar.
Federal ministers Pervez Khattak, Asad Umar and Senator Azam Khan Swati and Prime Minister’s Advisor on Finance Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh and Special Assistant on Health Dr Zafar Mirza, respectively will be ex-officio members of the committee.
