Senate body okays infectious diseases bill despite opposition by ministry.

ISLAMABAD -- Despite opposition from the Ministry of National Health Services (NHS), a parliamentary committee on Thursday unanimously passed 'Prevention and Control of the Infectious Diseases Bill 2020.'

The private member bill, if passed by parliament, will empower institutions and local administrations to take prompt decisions to deal with pandemics rather than waiting for decisions from high-powered committees chaired by the prime minister and chief ministers.

The bill was moved by Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) Senator Mohammad Javed Abbasi in Senate on Oct 26, 2020, and later referred to the Senate Standing Committee on NHS. However, the health ministry wants to merge the bill into the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Act 2010.

During the last meeting held on Jan 6, MQM Senator Mian Mohammad Ateeq Shaikh objected to it and claimed that successive governments had made a routine to ruin the hard work of legislators by tabling similar bills. He had said his 42 bills couldn't sail through parliament due to policies of PML-N and PTI governments to discourage private bills. He had alleged that the ministries mostly copy paste private bills and then moved them as government bills.

During the meeting chaired by MQM Senator Khusbakht Shujat on Thursday, once again the ministry maintained that it was amending the NDMA Act and a number of proposals were already included in it and remaining could also be added.

Draft law seeks powers for institutions and local administrations to deal with pandemics

However, the mover of the bill disagreed with the proposal and wondered how an issue of health can be handed over to the NDMA. He also questioned the existence of the health ministry and other departments if NDMA had to deal with health-related issues.

'It will be like merging criminal and civil laws with each other,' said Mr Abbasi, who is a practicing lawyer.

Briefing the meeting about the bill, he said there was no law in Pakistan to deal with pandemics.

'The only existing law is the West Pakistan Act 1958 which has four sections that deal with cholera, diarrhoea and other diseases...