Prime Minister Imran Khan has once again did not approve total lockdown across the country as its fallouts outweighed merits regarding containing the spread of coronavirus infections. The number of infected cases has risen 1876 as new test positive persons have been reported from all four provinces, Gilgit Baltistan and Azad Kashmir. But it is matter of satisfaction that patients’ recovery rate is on the rise and that of fatalities is on the decline. The experiment of total lockdown in the neighbouring country India has not achieved the intended results.
Prime Ministers’ strategy to effectively combat coronavirus pandemic is indicative of broad spectrum response. A cell has been set up at the Prime Minister office to ascertain the trend of surge and downturn by compiling a comprehensive data in one week and utilise it for future line of action, encompassing both preventive and curative actions needed for eliminating the deadly virus.
Corona relief fund has been launched and bank account has been opened in the National Bank of Pakistan. Local philanthropists and Pakistani Diaspora has been asked to deposit their donation in this fund. Neither the source of income shall be enquired from the donors not tax shall be levied on the donated amount. Given the track record of impeccable integrity of the Prime Minister and his Zeal and zest as dynamic social worker, donors will give positive response.
The strategy provides jobs protection to workers employed in the private sector. Interest free loans shall be given to enterprises that do not lay-off workers. There is greater risk of losing jobs by the employees in the private sector, when production and business activities are halted for longer period of time and uncertainty is looming over the business environment. Another noteworthy aspect of the strategy is the formation of volunteer force of youth who will distribute food items among the people at door step in areas under total lockdwn. It will ensure an equitable distribution of relief goods among the deserving people and mimise the chances of misappropriation.
It is worth appreciation that role of Non-governmental Organisation (NGOs) has been acknowledged in fight against coronavirus. In the prevailing situation, 93 International NGOs have been allowed to carry out relief operation in the country. Applications for registration of 53 NGO are being processed. It merits mention that registrations of large number of foreign NGOs had been cancelled by the Ministry of Interior in the last PML-N government, when Chaudhry Nisar was the Interior Minister. The NGOs had complained against the pick and choose modus operendi of the former minster. Let us hope that opposition political parties will lend unflinching support to government in its battle against COVID-19, refrain from indulging in blame game as reflected in the accusative and points scoring speech of PML-N President Shabaz Sharif on video link. In his speech he has tried to create an impression that federal government is ignoring Punjab in coronavirus containing strategy, which is not correct. What useful purpose of sloganeering of provincialism serves in this difficult and testing timr? In contrast the press statement of JUI Central President Maulana Fazalu Rehman is commendable in which he has proposed that political leadership and state institutions join hands and decide a line action to rid the people off the menace of coronavirus.
