5 parties demand separate benches in
Ijaz Kakakhel Islamabad
Despite differences among the opposition members in Upper House of Parliament, they were able to pass a resolution in the Senate relating to the price of coronavirus vaccines on Monday.
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-F’s Senator Kamran Murtaza had moved the resolution against the selling of coronavirus vaccines at expensive rates.
The resolution, submitted by the Opposition, got 43 votes in favour and 31 against it.
The resolution demanded the government to provide coronavirus vaccines for free or at a cheaper rate for the public instead of so expensive.
Angered at the development, the Leader of the House Senate
Shehzad Waseem said the resolution was a charge-sheet against the government.
Special Assistant on Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety to Prime Minister Sania Nishtar said the pandemic is a national security issue and we should deal with it
keeping politics aside.
She said the government successfully dealt with the first two waves of the virus keeping in view the lives and livelihood of citizens.
Sania Nishtar said the government has fixed prices of the vaccine under Drug pricing policy in a transparent manner and as per worldwide norm, elderly people and frontline health workers are being given the vaccine on priority basis.
Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani chaired the first sitting. Five opposition parties in the Senate, who had earlier decided to constitute an independent group in the House consisting of 27 members, demanded they be allotted separate opposition benches
in the Senate.
