Handling of coronavirus: Govt, Opposition again at loggerheads in Senate

ISLAMABAD: The Senate echoed Thursday with strong calls for forging national unity, putting aside politics and redefining the concept of national security to spend on health and education as priority in the given corona pandemic. Both government and opposition accused each other of ruining economy. The government senators said that opposition wanted that economy should collapse and it gets NRO. While opposition said that the thieves of flour and sugar have been promoted. The sitting saw again barbs flying on both sides of the aisle while Prime Minister Imran Khan again faced criticism for not giving importance to the Parliament by staying away from it at this most critical juncture. They demanded declaring free conduct of coronavirus tests of public. The House also offered Fateh for the victims of Kabul carnage the other day.

Lawmakers asked the government to give relief to people in terms of petroleum products in accordance with the Ogra recommendations, as they accused the government of not being serious in handling the pandemic. They also rejected naming of Javed Jabbar in the NFC Award to represent Balochistan.

PML-N’s Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed during his speech, proposed that the government should declare national health emergency for the rest of year and there must also be a political ceasefire for the time was for giving a loud and clear message to the nation.

He emphasised that the national security had always been defined in terms of military might and it had to be redefined in human security; it was about people of Pakistan. “We have to reorient our spending on people in terms of their health and education, which has not been the case so far and we all are responsible for it,” he remarked.

Senator Mushahid said that there nothing to worry about as regards our national security, as we had the bomb, planes and missiles. Referring to a foreign report, based on government of Pakistan’s data, he said that virus cases would jump up to 0.1 million by end of May and would reach 0.6 million by end of June and what was vital was compulsory testing. “You want wait till the issue of ventilators, which simply you are gone, you are dead then,” he said.

The veteran lawmaker said that there had been crisis-like situation in the past, when the leadership rose to the occasion and referred to the testing of nuclear devices and APS massacre and how, taking on all the political leadership the National Action Plan was thrashed out.

He also cited the Yemen conflict when the Parliament came up with one voice that Pakistan would not be part of the troop deployment. He called for special package for the health staffers, who were in the frontline against the virus and the media persons.

Senator Mushahid condemned the big businesses for not contributing in the given situation and referred to leading businessmen of the world and a leading Indian business. He paid tributes to Kashmiris for their heroic struggle for freedom despite the worst ever aggression and barbarism unleashed on innocent IOK people by the Indian regime.

Leader of the House and Minister for Information and Broadcasting Syed Shibli Faraz asked the opposition not to indulge in the blame game and avoid political point-scoring at this critical juncture. “The opposition had requisitioned the parliamentary sessions and its leaders must have attended the same instead of making the health issue as an excuse. If Senator Mushahidullah Khan can attend the session, despite having health issues, why can’t the elite class with a typical mindset, which called for the sessions and then stayed away,” he noted.

Senator Shibli asked the opposition as to what was its strategy regarding COVID-19, whether it wanted a nationwide curfew, whether it wanted closure of mosques across the country, and as to what the government should do till the anti-corona vaccine was formed. Where was the opposition, which had requisitioned the parliamentary sessions.”

Referring to news conference and ten questions asked by Special Assistant on Accountability Shahzad Akbar from Shahbaz Sharif, he said that he had not responded to those questions. “When they are questions, they don’t reply and say there are being political victimised. From NAB chairman to a peon, this government made no appointment. I urge the opposition not to play politics on some key national issues. They can do constructive criticism,” he said. He contended, “At this time we need national unity so that the coming challenges, which will be harder than of today’s, could be tackled effectively”.

He added from day one, the government had devised an effective strategy to contain the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19), despite having limited resources that worked and yielded the required results.

As compared to resourceful countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom and Italy, Pakistan had succeeded in containing the virus to a great extent as it limited the number of patients due to the preventive measures introduced by the government, he added. Shibli said despite having limited resources and lack of healthcare facilities, Pakistan was facing the situation with courage and managed to contain the virus. “The government devised the COVID-19 strategy in consultation with all the federating units, keeping in view the hardships of daily wagers, vendors and shopkeepers, besides enforcing necessary preventive measures to stop the virus spread. He made mention of a number relief steps and initiatives for the masses.

He said the government believed in transparent and equal distribution of financial assistance, adding the Sindh government had so far been given over Rs31 billion under the Ehsaas Emergency Cash programme. Shibli noted the government had set up the National Coordination Committee (NCC) and National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), where all the provinces, including the Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan had representation.

The minister contended that imposing a ‘complete lockdown’ was the mindset of elite class that could afford meeting their day to day expenses without any difficulty, but a common man could not afford as they had to manage bread and butter for their families on daily basis.

He said Minister for Planning, Development, Reforms and Special Initiatives Asad Umar and Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar had appeared before the commission probing the sugar and flour crisis, as the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government believed in supremacy of the law. He regretted that some opposition leaders were avoiding appearing before the commission.

Shibli urged the opposition not to raise the settled issues, as this would lead to unrest and could be risky vis-a-vis sectarian harmony.

PKMAP Senator Usman Khan Kakar came hard on the government for following a discriminatory policy with regards to the virus and also condemned the foreign minister for the type of language he used against the opposition, particularly PPP and Sindh. He questioned why coronavirus-related items were given to leading private hospitals of the twin cities by the government. The performance of NDMA came under fire for alleged un-judicious supply of ventilators and other equipment and not a single ventilator was given to Balochistan as per NDMA website.

He alleged that the establishment was unhappy over the 18th Amendment, doing way with 58-2/B, inclusion of Article 6 in the Constitution and giving financial autonomy to the federating units. He added that the establishment was claiming that the 18th Amendment was more dangerous than the six points of Sh. Mujib-ur-Rahman.

He charged that instead of fighting the virus, the government was fighting with the opposition and doctors were beaten black and blue for demanding protection gear and asked why was Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman arrested as no case could be registered against him so far. The legislator called for his immediate release and said that his (MSR) media house and there were two or three, which wanted to do something but were silenced and the media faced curbs. “We condemn this, as the media can do nothing,” he remarked.

In his speech, BNP-Mengal Senator Dr Jehnzab Jamaldini said that while the challenge of the virus was so severe, cases were being framed against Shahbaz Sharif and MSR was in confinement but no case against him could be made. He talked about backwardness of Balochistan province and revealed that the PSDP allocations for year 2019-20 were still lying in Islamabad while his province lacked even basic amenities. He said the accountability should not be biased and the opposition should not alone be hit.

“The one, who gave himself the charge of health ministry, should have been here. But he is not here for he does not consider himself answerable to the Parliament and he is scared of being asked questions here. And you can understand from this, what kind of responsibility he is fulfilling,” charged Senator Pervaiz Rashid of PML-N. He noted that virus prevention called for social distancing but the health minister had adopted social distancing from the Parliament. He castigated the prime minister for ‘begging’ from the world and sought details of the funds collected so far. He said personality was invited on April 22 to lead dua for prevention from the virus but very next day, it increased massively, as Allah does not listen to the tyrants and those, who use disease for their political interests.

Senator Rashid went on to allege that showing the BIPS funds, wheat procurement allocations and export refund, the so-called stimulus package was announced.

Advisor on Parliamentary Affairs Dr Babar Awan, referring to the Quranic verses, said that prime minister would succeed, as he had compassion and sympathy with the weaker segments of the society, being the central point of his policies. He noted the government had managed to contain the virus by the blessings of Allah and its timely prudent policies and cooperation of people. “There should be no propaganda on the amendments. There is no draft bill about 18th Amendment lying on my table. 14 bills of Senate opposition are pending, whereas 26 of NA opposition regarding amendments,” he pointed out.

He emphasised that none should ever think of clipping of NAB powers and deadlock on the accountability process during the stint of Imran Khan as PM.

Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi made a policy statement on Indian Occupied Kashmir and said that Pakistan stood by Kashmir and would continue to do so and highlight the Indian state terrorism at the world fora. The minister said Pakistan stood with the Kashmiris in their right to self-determination and the entire Pakistani nation despite political differences within political spectrum had one voice in support of Kashmiris.

He said the government wanted India should be held accountable for fundamental human right violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir and the international media and world media should be allowed to visit the held valley to verify the reports, which were before us.

Pakistan, he said, wanted that the inhuman lockdown in Occupied Kashmir be lifted immediately and 0.9 million Indian forces be withdrawn and the illegal measures taken on August 05 last year reversed too. “All the political prisoners must be freed and restrictions on peaceful assembly allowed and provision of supply of food and medicines restored immediately while all the draconian laws, including the armed forces special powers act and Public Safety Act must also be withdrawn,” he noted.

JI Senator Sirajul Haq said the coronavirus tests should be conducted free of cost and laboratories should be established at far flung areas. He said a common strategy is need of the hour to combat Coronavirus.

Rubina Khalid said Personal Protection Equipment (PPEs) for doctors and other frontline health workers are not being provided in sufficient number in Peshawar, and elsewhere in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. She said PPEs should immediately be provided to doctors and health workers. She said those health workers, who lost their lives in fight against coronavirus, should be declared as national heroes.

Abdul Rehman Malik of PPP said the corona should not be made a platform for any kind of political wrangling. He said free of cost tests of the poor people to diagnose presence of the virus should be ensured.

He contended that since the coronavirus outbreak had been declared as pandemic, world financial bodies like the International Monetary Fund should write off loans of the poor people.

Senator Faisal Javed of PTI emphasised on adopting technical approach to deal with the pandemic instead of hurling accusations on the government. He said instead of doing welfare, the status quo political parties had plunged the nation into corona corruption.

PML-N Senator Abdul Qayyum called for taking the virus seriously and working for collective response to it and focusing on agriculture sector and extending maximum support to cash crop farmers. He also called for incentives to industries, linked to export items.

“UK prime minister himself suffered from this virus, but he makes his presence in the legislature. The Prime Minister Imran Khan should be present in the legislature and lead from the front,” he said.

The opposition requisitioned session was prorogued.

Lawmakers from the opposition and treasury benches analysed the preventive measures, ease of lockdown, safety of public and financial implications from different aspects.

Initiating the debate, Senator Aurangzeb Khan asked the government to make arrangements for early repatriation of all Pakistanis stranded in different countries after the coronavirus outbreak. He said the whole world was facing the pandemic and struggling to overcome it and return to normalcy at the earliest.

Mian Attique Shaikh of Mutahidda Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) said a special committee should be constituted to devise an effective strategy at the national level, keeping in view the post-coronavirus scenario, and promote digitalisation in diverse fields.

Mushahidullah Khan of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) said almost 300,000 people had so far died across the world due to the virus, and appreciated the doctors’ community for treating the COVID-19 patients, putting their own lives at risk. He said there were some rumours about the spread of virus, adding the time would decide whether it was man- made or natural calamity.

He asked the government to consult opposition leaders for evolving national consensus on a uniformed strategy to combat the virus.