The main opposition party, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) on Friday submitted a requisition in the National Assembly Secretariat for a joint session of the Parliament to discuss the outbreak of coronavirus in the country.

PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb said, while talking to media after a parliamentary party meeting on Friday, that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government was "still sleeping at a time, when the entire country had been on lockdown on its own". She said that Prime Minister Imran Khan - who is also the Health Minister - should explain the situation in the parliament.

Khawaja Asif, senior leader of the PML-N, also wrote to Speaker National Assembly Asad Qaiser for calling a joint session of the parliament.

The letter calls for a joint session of parliament in view of the worsening situation due to the spread of coronavirus.

It was said in the letter that more than 125,000 people had been affected from coronavirus and 4,600 people had died across the world.

The letter from the senior PML-N leader said that Pakistan was in serious danger of spread of coronavirus due to lack of effective strategy and lack of effective measures by the government.

Khawaja Asif said that a joint meeting of Parliament should be convened in view of this dangerous situation and Prime Minister Imran Khan should inform the House about the government's steps.

According to a statement issued by PML-N Secretary Information Marriyum Aurangzeb, the PML-N Parliamentary Party has demanded immediate summoning of a joint session of the parliament and a detailed explanation by the prime minister to the house, over the state of affairs regarding the new coronavirus in the country.

The meeting was held in the Parliament House, and was attended by Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Secretary General Ahsan Iqbal, Rana Sanaullah and others. Marriyum said the "incompetent, naive and clueless" government had been "sleeping", while the number of cases of the coronavirus continued to increase. She said a resolution regarding the summoning of the joint session had been submitted to the speaker National Assembly.

The former information minister told that it was also decided in the meeting that a petition would be submitted in the high court against the arrest of Mir Shakeelur Rehman on Saturday (today).

Former premier Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Ahsan Iqbal, Rana Sanaullah, Barrister Mohsin Iqbal Ranjha and Marriyum Aurangzeb will be the petitioners.

She said this arrest comes on the heels of the High Court's decision pointing out the abuse of power by the NAB and yet this government did not even think twice about ambushing freedom of the press.

Marriyum said the arrests of media persons, oppression, and pressure tactics were a violation of the Constitution, fundamental human rights and international conventions.

Meanwhile, National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser and Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani also held meeting and decided to suspend all the parliamentary activities till March 31. According to sources, even the meetings of standing committees of both the houses would not be held during this period. However, the secretariats of both houses of the Parliament will remain open.