NA session summoned today amid rising corona cases

ISLAMABAD: Amid rising COVID-19 cases in the federal capital, the president has summoned the National Assembly (NA) session to meet at the Parliament House on Monday afternoon.

The MNAs will be arriving in Islamabad from different parts of the country to attend proceedings of lower house of the Parliament. Only during third week of this month, the premises of the NA secretariat was closed for purpose of fumigation exercise for three days after reporting of some coronavirus cases. The government will make yet another attempt to get passed Constitution (twenty-sixth amendment) bill, 2020 by the House on Monday.

The move which will provide opening balloting in Senate elections and permission to dual national to contest elections, practically looks impossible without support of the opposition but still the bill has been placed on order of the day for Monday. At the same time, the government, by moving the amendment bill which requires two-third majority of the House, wants to make another offer to the opposition for open balloting in the Senate elections and allow dual nationals contest elections. The legislation remained unaddressed on February 3 due to uproar and protest by the opposition parties in the House.

The government will also seek passage of the National College of Arts Institute Bill, 2020; The Islamabad Capital Territory Senior Citizens Bill, 2020; The Domestic Violence (Prevention and Protection) Bill, 2020 and The Loans for Agriculture, Commercial and Industrial Purposes (Amendment) Bill, 2019.