34 opposition senators submit requisition to convene session

07 May, 2020

A day after the government and the opposition in the National Assembly agreed to call a physical session of the National Assembly; some 34 opposition members in the Senate on Wednesday submitted a requisition with the Senate Secretariat to immediately convene a session of the Senate.

According to the members, the agenda for the session includes discussions on the federal government's policy on how to cope with the pandemic, coordinating a clear healthcare response, and a clear policy to deal with the economic impact of the novel Covid-19.

The agenda also includes discussion on the "impact of the coronavirus on national security and foreign policy amid regional tensions, regression of the people of occupied Kashmir and apartheid-like conditions faced by Indian Muslims under the Modi regime".

The opposition had submitted a requisition last month to convene a National Assembly session.

On Tuesday, the main opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) agreed to withdraw the requisition notice after the government announced that it would convene the session from May 11.

Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi had announced that the government and the opposition had reached an understanding for convening the physical session of the assembly under strict adherence to health guidelines and standard operating procedures (SOPs) for ensuring the safety of the members, and the staff of the National Assembly Secretariat.

On May 5, the Special Advisor to the Prime Minister on Parliamentary Affairs, Babar Awan, had released a video statement confirming that a National Assembly session would be convened on May 11 at 3pm.

An all parties committee meeting arrived at the decision prior, the main agenda of the session will be the ongoing global and national issue of the coronavirus pandemic, added Babar Awan.

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