Parliamentary committee formed to monitor coronavirus, prevention measures

A parliamentary committee comprising federal government officials, as well as members of the National Assembly, has been set up to monitor the ongoing COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, an NA spokesperson said Thursday.

The committee, according to the spokesperson, would inspect, monitor, and supervise everything related to the novel coronavirus, as well as its negative impact on the Pakistani economy.

It would further review the implementation of the national action plan for the COVID-19 coronavirus and compile recommendations to improve the execution, the spokesperson added.

The committee would also set up a sub-committee, which would compile TORs, and submit its report in both the upper and lower houses of the Parliament.

Members of the committee include Defense Minister Pervez Khattak, Planning Minister Asad Umar, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid, Prime Minister's Finance Adviser Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, and Special Assistant to PM on Health Dr Zafar Mirza.

It would also include Azam Khan Swati, Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, Khawaja Asif, Raja Pervez Ashraf, Chaudhry Tariq Bashir Cheema, Asad Mahmood, Shibli Faraz, Mushahidullah Khan, Muhammad Ali Saif, Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, Mir Hasil Khan Bizenjo, Sherry Rehman, Usman Khan Kakar, Siraj-ul-Haq, Sitara Ayaz, Dr Jahanzeb Jamaluddin, Syed Muzaffar Hussain Shah, and Aurangzeb Khan.

Khalid Hussain Magsi, Akhtar Mengal, Ghous Bux Khan Mahar, Nawabzada Shahzain Bugti, and Ameer Haider Khan Hoti would represent the BAP, BNP-M, GDA, JWP, and the ANP, respectively.