Shahbaz seeks panel to monitor relief fund
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-nawaz (PMLN) president Shahbaz Sharif has written a letter to National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser, asking him to constitute a parliamentary committee to monitor public money and relief funds being used in the fight against coronavirus in the country.
“Pakistan is fighting this war against the pandemic [Covid-19] with measured resources and funds. Under such circumstances, it is imperative to ensure that these resources, especially monetary, be utilised with clinical precision and utmost transparency. The parliamentary oversight, therefore, is essential and uncompromisable in this regard. Which is why, you must set up a parliamentary monitoring committee to carry out this task,” writes the leader of the opposition in the National Assembly in his letter.
Shahbaz wrote the letter after Prime Minister Imran Khan announced setting up of a coronavirus relief fund for collecting money from philanthropists and overseas Pakistanis to generate resources to fight the disease that has affected the whole world.
Earlier, the government had also announced a Rs1,200 billion relief package to ameliorate the sufferings of the common people and business community due to the spread of coronavirus and prolonged lockdown in the country.
The PML-N president further asked the speaker to summon the meetings of the National Assembly and Senate health committees to review the situation due to spread of Covid-19.
“In view of conflicting information being shared by the government officials on and off the record, there is a direct need of briefing the people’s representatives regarding the truth,” writes Sharif while arguing in favour of his demand for convening the meetings of the committees on health.
In the beginning of the letter, Shahbaz appreciated the speaker for his initiative of calling the meeting of the parliamentary leaders last week, stating that “it is unfortunate that the conduct of the prime minister did not allow that effort to bear the desired fruit.”
Both Shahbaz and Pakistan Peoples Party chairman Bilawal had boycotted the parliamentary meeting when Imran abruptly left the meeting after delivering his opening speech. Meanwhile, speaking at a news conference, former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, PML-N secretary general Ahsan Iqbal, party’s information secretary Marriyum Aurangzeb and Senator Mussadiq Malik criticised the ruling Pakistan Tehrik-e-insaf (PTI) for its alleged poor handling of the situation after the spread of coronavirus.