Sindh govt's initiatives, proactivity against coronavirus yielded results in Sukkur: Murtaza Wahab

KARACHI: All but six coronavirus patients at the Sukkur quarantine facility have recovered and been discharged, Sindh government spokesperson Senator Murtaza Wahab said Tuesday, highlighting the provincial leadership's strategy to contain the pandemic.

Wahab's remarks come amid an ongoing conflict between the federal government and the PPP's Sindh leadership, during which both parties have leveled allegations against each other. The provincial government's representative had also earlier defended themselves after the ruling PTI's ministers held a "fault-finding" press conference last week.

The Sindh government spokesperson said "some facts need to be highlighted to set the record straight at this stage" since the ruling PTI and federal ministers have been continuously issuing statements critical of the provincial leadership.

'National unity'

"Though we believe that Pakistan at this time needs national unity, that people need to work together collaboratively, some facts need to be highlighted to set the record straight at this stage," he said.

"Since the PTI is persistently boosting its anti-Sindh government narrative, I wish to speak of the positive effects of the PPP government's strategy," he added, referring to the Labour Colony quarantine centre in Sukkur where pilgrims coming from Iran via Taftan were shifted for testing and subsequent treatment.

"Everyone knows of and has spoken about the [issues at] the Taftan border quarantine facility so I won't speak much about that. All of the 1,193 people whom we shifted to the Sukkur quarantine facility were quarantined.

'Let's serve Pakistan together'

Noting that a majority of them recovered and were discharged, the spokesperson said the remaining 273 who tested positive for the coronavirus were shifted to isolation wards and looked after.

"Today, I'm happy to say all [except six of] the 273 coronavirus patients have recovered and the six remained in isolation at the Sukkur quarantine centre," Wahab stressed.

"This shows that wherever the Sindh government took initiative, we worked proactively. Not only did we identify them but we also looked after them and helped them recover.

"I believe this is the important point that everyone needs to understand, as to how we can protect our people from the coronavirus pandemic by isolating and working proactively.

"Please join and support us and let's serve Pakistan together. Pakistan Zindabad!"

'Running his own show'

A day prior, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Broadcasting and Information Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan had criticised Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, ratcheting up tensions between the centre and the province.

Dr Awan had said Shah should talk to Prime Minister Imran Khan instead of speaking to "the media screens" and that if he had had any advice, he should have offered it to the National Coordination Committee (NCC). She also accused him of "running his own show" and refusing to cooperate.

The special assistant had said PM Imran had agreed to the chief minister's request for time to reopen some industries.

'Don’t want to engage in politicking'

Earlier, PTI leaders — including Water Resources Minister Faisal Vawda, Maritime Affairs Minister Ali Haider Zaidi, and Leader of Opposition in Sindh Assembly Firdous Shamim Naqvi — had lashed out at the Sindh government, saying its "incompetence" had caused the number of coronavirus cases to rise in the province.

Vawda had slammed the province's move to seal 12 union councils in Karachi, claiming he did not "want to engage in politicking at such a time but I had no choice".

The criticism from PTI leaders came after Sindh's number of coronavirus cases rose to 1,411 on Sunday, with two new deaths, but Punjab still led at 2,464 cases of the country's total of more than 5,200 — at that time.

Zaidi and Naqvi had criticised the PPP over its lax attitude towards Sindh's health sector, with the former saying it was the provincial government's responsibility after the 18th Amendment.

'Blind to Punjab's problems'

Zaidi had also claimed that "industries are open in US and Europe", adding that Sindh took decisions without strategising and rescinded them later.

The provincial government hit back at the Centre the same day, with Sindh Education Minister Saeed Ghani alleging the federal government was creating obstacles "at the behest of the prime minister" instead of lending a helping hand.

The PTI leaders "are becoming obstacles to work" on the response against the COVID-19 pandemic, Ghani had said. PM Imran "has let them loose to become hurdles in Sindh government’s work", he had added.

Wahab had hit back at Vawda, asking him if the governments of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had "brought the situation under control?"

'Sindh-government phobia'

"The minister raising a hue and cry over the non-availability of food to people in Sindh seems to be blind to Punjab's problems," he had said. "KP's hospitals paint a very sorry picture of the government's neglect.

"The prime minister's team suffers from a Sindh-government phobia," Wahab had said. The PTI ministers, "like always, are the worst enemies of the people".

On the other hand, Sindh Information Minister Nasir Shah had regretted the duplicity in the PTI ministers' thinking when it came to sealing off of areas.

"When Lahore's union councils are sealed off, there is nothing but praise for the decision. When Karachi's union councils were cordoned off, there was only criticism," Shah had highlighted.