Corona crisis exposed drawbacks in 18th Amendment

ISLAMABAD: The opposition members in the National Assembly on Wednesday while accusing the government of lacking in having a national strategy against COVID-19, asked the rulers to adopt a cross party approach and development synergy among the provinces to control the pandemic.

“Will the government agree on national listening and consult the opposition on the situation instead just delivering speeches and telling stories of consensus,” former prime minister and the senior PML-N leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said while taking part in debate on the COVID-19 situation.

He also observed that the prime minister could deliver twelve speeches but never thought it proper to consult the opposition parties and attend the National Assembly proceedings. “We will not indulge in character assassination but it is our responsibility to speak on vital national issues,” he said.

The proceedings of the House which was convened to evolve a strategy and a national approach against COVID-19 pandemic witnessed blame game from both sides. The members from both sides including Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Khawaja Saad Rafique, Raja Parvaiz Ashraf, Abdul Qadar Patel and Zartaj Gul Wazir availed themselves of every opportunity to criticise opponents.

Others who participated in the debate included Shahida Akhtar Ali, Abdul Akbar Chitrali, Agha Hassan Baloch, Khalil Magsi, Mohsin Dawar, Shaikh Salahuddin and Ameer Haider Hoti.

Shahid Khaqan Abbasi went on to say that there is contradiction in statements of the minister on the COVID-19 situation. A minister, a few days back said Pakistan has daily testing capacity of 40,000 while the foreign minister only on Monday said the capacity is 20,000 tests on daily basis.

He questioned the government as to what national strategy it was following to prevent 220 million people from COVID-19. “I challenge the ministers to reveal uniform strategy of the government on the floor but they will not able to do so,” he said adding the he foreign minister said the government evolving the national strategy. Ridiculing statements of ministers with regard to 18th Amendment, the PML-N leader said the statements give an impression that only cure to COVID-19 is to do away with the amendment. “We are ready to cooperate with the government if prevention against COVID-19 lies in ending the 18th Amendment,” he said.

Questioning approach and thought of the ministers, he said they did not even know difference between quarantine and isolation while it also failed in reaching a testing protocol. As much as Rs11 trillion has been earmarked for the health sector but not even single penny was spent for the purpose.

Responding to allegations against the past governments, the former prime minister said the ventilator, which previously was available for 10,000 dollars was now available for 60,000 dollars and people were getting rich.

Talking about response of the prime minister to the situation, he said the premier had delivered 12 speeches so far. “Sometime, the prime minister said there is no lockdown and then he stated that the elite class had gone for lockdown,” he said.

He pointed that there was complete curfew outside residence of the prime minister the same day when he said there would be no lockdown. “He invented new term of smart lockdown and now he is saying he is easing the lockdown,” he observed.

Saying that the country would be facing grave situation in the next two weeks, but the government was lacking unified national strategy to face peak of the pandemic. “The infection rate previously was around 8 percent and has now reached 11 percent as is obvious from 11,800 tests conducted on Tuesdaty,” he said.

He said it was responsibility of the federal government to address issue of infectious diseases like polio. “The man who was operator of prime minister’s twitter account was made head of the national polio programme,” he said.

Saying that peak time of COVID-19 was yet to start but the government was still lacking in a national strategy. “The photo sessions, websites and making new forums will not serve the purpose,” he said.

On issue of NFC award, he said if the government goes for reducing share of federating units in the award, the provinces would face disaster and in return, the centre would also get nothing. He also suggested formation of special committee of the House to monitor the situation on daily basis.

Minister for Federal Education Shafqat Mahmood said the government did announce the lockdown but the country could not afford to prolong for an unlimited period. The minister said the COVID-19 spread had also exposed many weaknesses of the 18th amendment questioning as to how the subjects of electricity and gas could belong to provinces.

He regretted that the House so far has achieved nothing from the speeches, which he said were meant only to grill the government. “Instead of fight against COVID-19, we are fighting with one another,” he said.

He said the government is planning to launch Radio School to impart education to students in wake of coronavirus pandemic.

He said the government has already launched Tele School, which is educating students of various classes from eight in the morning till six in the evening.

The MQM parliamentarian Salahuddin termed gathering parliamentarians from across the country under one roof to hold the proceedings as a big joke.