ISLAMABAD: A parliamentary committee was informed on Friday that currently there are 627 active Covid-19 cases in the federal capital.

Briefing the Senate Standing Committee on Interior headed by Senator Rehman Malik, Deputy Commissioner Hamza Shafqaat said so far 186 people have died of Covid-19 in the capital. With the emergence of 100 new patients on Friday the number of active cases increased to 627, he said.

However, by Friday evening, 28 more active cases were reported, taking the tally to 655.

The deputy commissioner told the committee that every possible step was being taken to curtail the spread of the virus. Action has been taken against violations of the standard operating procedures (SOPs). In general, he added, people were following the SOPs.

The DC said Covid-19 tests were performed on 400,000 people in Islamabad and less than 2pc of them were found infected. Many shops and restaurants and a few educational institutions were also sealed for violating SOPs. District Health Officer (DHO) Dr Zaeem Zia informed the committee about the measures taken to curb the virus.

The chairman of the committee directed the concerned authorities to issue appreciation letters to officials of the Ministry of Health, the DC Islamabad, the DHO and others for their tireless efforts in fighting the pandemic.

Senator Malik said there was misunderstanding among the citizens about the virus as many people were still not taking it seriously. He said awareness about Covid-19 should be created and the public should strictly follow the SOPs.

The committee also discussed several bills, including “The Islamabad Capital Territory Criminal Prosecution Service (Constitution, Functions and Powers) Bill 2020” introduced by Senator Mohammad Javed Abbasi in the House on August 24, 2020.

Senator Abbasi told the committee that there was no prosecution branch in the federal capital. He said the state has the responsibility to punish anyone who commits a crime but there are people who do not have the resources to hire a good lawyer.

Senator Rana Maqbool Ahmed said there should be a clear procedure for prosecution. The chairman said legal aid and prosecution branch have to go hand in hand.

Senator Dr Shahzad Waseem said neither working papers nor opinions have been received from the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Law and Justice.

The chairman directed the interior ministry to provide a report within a week in consultation with the Ministry of Law and Justice otherwise the bill would be considered as approved after a week.

The committee also considered “The Islamabad Capital Territory Watersides Safety Bill 2020 which was also introduced by Senator Abbasi in August.

The chairman directed the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Law and Justice to give their opinion within a week or else the bill would be considered passed.

The committee also discussed “The Code of Criminal Procedure (Amendment) Bill 2020” introduced by Senator Mohammad Javed Abbasi in the House on August 24 and was deferred for a week.

The committee passed with majority “The Islamabad Capital Territory Law Officers Bill 2020” which was also introduced by Senator Abbasi. The committee sought a briefing from the Ministry of Interior on jail reforms.

Published in Dawn, October 10th, 2020