THE sessions of National Assembly and Senate were specially summoned to discuss the way forward to cope with the situation arising out of Covid-19 but unfortunately speeches made by the parliamentarians, both the opposition and the treasury benches, on the first day of the sessions focused mainly on political point scoring with the pandemic taking the backseat.
One was expecting that the elected representatives will give their positive suggestions to make the national strategy against the contagion more robust and effective but what transpired actually disappointed everyone. It is because of this lack of seriousness and maturity that the elected representatives have lost the trust and confidence of the masses. Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had earned applause across the country when he gave the message of unity in his first news conference after the breakout of the Coronavirus but during the lower house’s session on Monday, he used the floor to lash out at Prime Minister Imran Khan, repeating the same language that he or other opposition members use against the PM. Then the response from the treasury benches was also to settle the scores, reminding the opposition parties of their failures in the past.
In fact the elected representatives never get tired of blowing the trumpet of ‘Unity’ but their actions have always been in negation of that. Then what was astonishing to see during the session of National Assembly was that the elected representatives were openly seen flouting the precautionary measures and the guidelines set for their own safety and protection. These elected representatives frame policies and they themselves were advocating social distancing to contain the spread of the virus but they did not apply it on themselves before, during and after the session. As both the houses will be in session for the next few days, the nation expects from the MPs to rise above their political differences, act responsibly and give valuable suggestions to fight the virus. Genuine message of unity and support to federal and provincial governments must resonate from both the houses, and MPs must observe the social distancing that they advocate for the common man.
