Govt persuading opposition to hold NA virtual session

islamabad — The government has been persuading the opposition parties to hold a virtual session of the National Assembly after two parliamentarians tested positive of Covid-19, an official said on Thursday.

The high-ranked official from the National Assembly told Xinhua news agency that the session has to be called to fulfil the constitutional requirement to hold its sessions of the remaining 58 days for completing its mandated 130 days sitting, in the parliamentary calendar year ending in September.

“Definitely, it is mandatory to complete 130 days of the session, but the government does not want to convert Parliament house into an infection house amid rising numbers of confirmed Covid-19 cases. Parliament has more duty to show responsibility in this difficult situation,” the official added. The government has formed a special committee of parliamentary leaders to decide whether to hold a virtual session or not.

Earlier on Wednesday, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi participated in the virtual session of the parliamentary leaders’ special committee to decide about the session. Qureshi told the media that the decision to convene parliament’s online or physical session would be taken with consensus and in consultation with all member political parties.

He added that all the parliamentary leaders presented positive and good suggestions for the session which would be discussed with the speaker of the National Assembly. —

The government does not want to convert parliament house into an infection house amid rising numbers of confirmed Covid-19 cases National Assembly official

AP LONG WAIT: A carpenter waits for customers to sell wooden handicrafts during a lockdown in Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The Covid-19 pandemic has affected the income of around 12 million families in Pakistan. —