Coronavirus: Speaker summons parliamentary body's meeting on 6th

The National Assembly Speaker, Asad Qaiser, on Wednesday summoned parliamentary committee's meeting on the coronavirus on April 6th to review the effects of the pandemic on the country.
The Advisor to the Prime Minister on Finance, Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, and the Advisor to the Prime Minister on Commerce, Abdul Razak Dawood, will give briefings to the committee on the effects of the virus on the country's economy and the way forward.
State Minister of Health Dr Zafar Mirza and Chairman National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Lt Gen Muhammad Afzal will also brief the panel.
The committee comprises 12 senators and 13 parliamentary leaders.
Meanwhile, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president and the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif said that the government should ensure transparency about its strategies to stem the COVID-19.
"There is a need to utilise funds with transparency during these difficult times as we've very limited resources, and transparency in utilising the funds must not be compromised," he added.
Shehbaz said that parliamentary oversight of funds was essential to make sure that the funds were used and distributed in a transparent manner, adding there were people who deserved support and judicious distribution of relief funds was a must to give relief to the downtrodden.
"The people at the helm of affairs should not keep the people in disarray, and tell them the facts, as it is the need of the hour," he maintained.
Shehbaz also asked why a parliamentary oversight committee had not yet been formed to oversee the matter, adding a committee of the parliamentarians to oversee the matters should be formed.
As the government has banned meetings of the Senate and National Assembly standing committees in the wake of the pandemic, Shehbaz said standing committees on health - both Senate and National Assembly - should be summoned in order to keep the members informed about facts related to the deadly disease.