Physical distancing measures: Sanjrani seeks NA chamber for Senate session

Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani on Monday wrote a letter to National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaisar to make the chamber of the National Assembly available for sitting of Senate to assume its constitutional role, while taking all precautionary measures in view of the health advisories.

"In order to successfully preserve the operation of parliament during a time of global pandemic whereby the key functions of the parliament as key legislative body are arguably most needed, it is crucial that appropriate, proportionate and reasonable measures be taken to facilitate this," said Sanjrani.

He said that globally parliaments had adopted mitigation and adaptation strategies to facilitate effective working of the parliaments. Given the number of its members, the Senate chairman added, the Senate chamber did not allow adopting any physical distancing measures for holding senate session.

He said that parliamentary practices existed in which the Senate chamber was used by the National Assembly for holding the sessions as fire eruption destroyed the National Assembly chamber in 1993.

He said that those were extraordinary circumstances and today again there were extraordinary circumstances wherein one House of Parliament could not hold session in its chamber.

Sanjrani said that the pandemic had created unique challenges for legislatures across the world., forcing emergency provisions in parliamentary procedures, innovative techniques for connecting with citizenry and legislative actions on urgent relief packages for communities in need. "I am certain that together we will be successful in taking measures to protect citizenry and fight this pandemic effectively," he added.