F.P. Report
ISLAMABAD: Director General Inter Services Public Relations (DG ISPR) Major General Babar Iftikhar Friday said National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) is assisting the key leadership of the country to take informed decisions based on the objectives of timely projection and intervention.
Addressing a joint press briefing with Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan, he said NCOC was essentially a one window operation where all important ministeries and provinces were given representation. The entire leadership was receiving all sorts of information and further sharing it for proper and prompt decisions to control the pandemic risk.
While briefing on the Centre, he said NCOC was working under the National Coordination Committee (NCC) headed by the Prime Minister where Minister for Planning Asad Umar was leading the Centre and Lieutenant General Hamood uz Zaman was appointed as it’s coordinator.
Major General Babar Iftikhar said, “NCOC is an operational nerve centre that is used for synergyzing and articulating entire national effort. It’s mechanism is to collate and analyse the data received from all the provinces and develop recommendations based on the analysis. This helps the top leadership to take decisions for timely interventions.”
The ISPR DG informed that different digital platforms and human resource was used in the process of developing the recommendations and analysis in the Centre. Through this coordinated system millions of people were tracked and traced and given relevant information and guidelines to prevent the prevailing outbreak of Corona virus, he added.
“Around 465 million messages have been sent to the public through Pakistan Telecommunication Authority imparting preventive measures to avoid Corona Virus or COVID-19 contact,” the ISPR DG said.
He added that the information received through NCOC helped the governments in isolating different parts of the country due to increasing risk of COVID-19 outbreak.
As the SAPM highlighted, he said, “We cannot implement indefinite lockdown in the country as along with the lockdown we would have to continue the updated details of our essential requirements and services.”
NCOC, the ISPR DG said was using all its resources where the emerging picture based on its information was helping to provide relief items either it was medical equipment, essential services kits or human resource in the targeted areas as per the needs of the provinces, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan.
“We as a nation have become united against the Corona virus pandemic. Since February 26, in the past 38 days we have befitting responded to the outbreak as a nation. The government of Pakistan is amicably dealing with the risk of Corona virus through in time measures and interventions.
He paid rich tributes to doctors, paramedics, security forces and law enforcement agencies who were fighting in the frontline against the outbreak. “I would also like to thank ulemas (religious scholars) for giving the message of national solidarity in the hard times of Corona virus outbreak who tried to make awareness among the masses on the issue.”
ISPR DG said we had to fight this pandemic as a nation above our religion, ethnic, colour and creed based discrimination. He also extended his gratitude for playing a positive role in the time of crisis. No doubt media’s role was significant in the fight against COVID-19 outbreak. “Media coverage in this issue has been objective and has taken all out measures for creating awareness among the general public.”
The armed forces, he Said were present across the country and utilizing all its resources to contain the pandemic.
As per the directions of the Chief of Army Staff for ensuring public health and protection the security forces were not only reaching out the people rather providing all sorts of assistance to then, he added.
“All formation commanders in their respective areas of responsibility are providing complete assistance to the federal and provincial governments,” the ISPR DG said.
It was the calamity that had posed mammoth challenge to us. All possible measures based on the developing situation were made on daily basis, he added.
ISPR DG said, “Public cooperation with state on this issue is necessary as through this we can fight with this out break as a nation. No threat, difficulty and sacrifice bears importance in front of this responsibility.”
Being a good Muslim, it was our prime duty to keep everyone in our surrounding safe from the pandemic.
“You can do this by staying at your home in this condition. May Allah Almighty bless Pakistani nation, Kashmiris and the entire humanity with His mercy,” the ISPR DG prayed.
