ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) on Friday demanded immediate convening of a joint session of parliament for a briefing on the coronavirus issue.

The demand was made at a parliamentary party meeting of the PML-N, jointly presided over by Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Ahsan Iqbal and Rana Sanaullah, said a press release issued by the party.

Informed sources told Dawn that the position taken by the PML-N reflected a division among the opposition, as the PPP wants no parliamentary proceedings for a few weeks in the wake of coronavirus threat, while the PML-N not only wanted the National Assembly session prorogued sine die on Friday to continue, but also seeks an immediate joint session of parliament.

Briefing reporters on decisions taken at the party meeting, PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurengzeb said that an application seeking the joint session of parliament had been submitted to National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser.

She said that there was a lockdown in different countries of the world due to coronavirus threat, but the federal government was still in deep slumber, while the number of coronavirus cases continued to increase.

She said the prime minister who held the portfolio of minister for national health services and regulations should come to parliament to brief lawmakers on the steps taken by the government to cope with the coronavirus issue.

She said the meeting also decided to file a petition in the high court challenging the arrest of Mir Shakilur Rehman. She said party leaders Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Ahsan Iqbal, Rana Sanaullah, Barrister Mohsin Shah­nawaz Ranjha and she herself would file the petition in the Islamabad High Court on Saturday.

The meeting regretted that days after the Islamabad High Court held that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) could not make arrest to conduct roving inquiries, an ambush had been carried out against the media.

She said that arrests of mediapersons, oppression and pressure tactics were a violation of the Constitution, fundamental human rights and international conventions.

Meanwhile, Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani has postponed meetings of all parliamentary committees and other parliamentary gatherings for two weeks, with effect from March 16 (Monday), as a precautionary step in view of the coronavirus threat.

Chairman of the Senate Standing Committee on Interior Rehman Malik already cancelled a meeting of the committee scheduled for Friday, but established a telephonic contact with its members for consultation over coronavirus.

Published in Dawn, March 14th, 2020