ISLAMABAD - Chairman Senate Standing Committee on Interior Senator Rehman Malik yesterday advised Prime Minister Imran Khan to stop his ministers from playing blame game on coronavirus.
Speaking at a news conference here, he said this was time for national unity to combat this deadly virus.
Malik took serious notice of media reports about the burial of deceased overseas Pakistanis in mass-graves without proper religious rites and graves and directed to fully facilitate the funeral rites per Islamic rites with proper identification of graves.
In a letter to Chairman Overseas Pakistanis Foundation which he made public during the news conference through a video link, Senator Malik said in view of the worrisome among the families of overseas Pakistanis due to various media reports about the deaths and burial in mass-graves without proper religious rites, the Senate Standing Committee on Interior would like to know that how many deaths of Overseas Pakistanis because of COVID-19 had been reported in USA, Italy, Spain, Middle East and other countries.
He said that he had received a number of requests from overseas Pakistanis to take notice of the matter. He advised that a joint Special Cell of Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and OPF may be established in all the Pakistani Missions across the world to monitor on daily basis the deaths of Overseas Pakistanis because of COVID-19 and to ensure that Pakistani are not buried in mass-graves. He said that this is foremost duty of the concerned Embassy to protect the rights of Pakistanis abroad.
In his letter to the OPF Chairman, Senator Rehman Malik advised that a Special Cells based in OPF shall facilitate the burial of overseas Pakistanis and the Community Welfare Attaché and First Secretary be directed to liaison with the respective government that any Pakistanis who dies of COVID-19 is buried according to religious rites with proper identification of graveyard and name the picture of religious rites of the dead body and grave should be sent to the bereaved families in Pakistan.
He said that the OPF shall bear all the expenditure of the burial and graves of deceased Pakistanis as there are enough funds available with OPF.
Senator Rehman Malik expressed that he understands that this is a difficult task in the given extraordinary circumstances, however, it is the foremost duty of the government to facilitate the people in their difficult times.
The Senate Standing Committee on Interior will examine the progress by 20th of this month via video conference, hence, a detailed report may please be furnished with details of actions taken in this regard before 20th April, 2020, he added.
The copies of the same letter were also sent to Secretary, Ministry of Interior, Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Secretary, Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis & HRD, Secretary, Ministry of National Health services, Regulations and Coordination and Director General, Bauru of Emigration for their input and necessary action.
Answering a question, Senator A. Rehman Malik said that he highly appreciates Chief Justice’s observations well on time and advise the government to obey the directions of Supreme Court regarding taking measures to prevent Coronavirus.
He said that it will be violation of Constitution if Supreme Court orders are not obeyed in true letter and spirt. He said that situation would be far different if the government had not implemented the 37 recommendations of Senate Standing Committee on Interior which were given well on time during Committee emergency meeting on February 27th, 2020 soon after the Coronavirus outbreak in Pakistan.
He said that it is not too late for the government to implement the Senate Standing Committee on Interior 37-point National Action Plan on Coronavirus