Punjab governor asks opposition to join war against pandemic

LAHORE: Punjab Governor Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar has said that the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government does not believe in political victimisation and stressed that the opposition should come on same page with the government to combat the spread of dreadful coronavirus.

He said all state institutions, including NAB had been made apolitical and the government’s sole focus was on country’s progress and prosperity. He said the business community was itself under severe economic stress but still helping out the poor and vulnerable families. “We will surely defeat the scourge of coronavirus, if we all will work hand-in-hand,” he said.

The governor was speaking to a delegation of PTI leaders, including Mian Waheed, Chaudhry Khalid Mahmood Gujjar, Nadeem Butt and a paint industry representative Mirza Asghar Chaudhry who called on him at Governor’s House on Sunday. Pakistan Coating Association representatives Moazzam Rasheed, Asghar Mughal and others were present on the occasion.

Chaudhry Sarwar said the coronavirus had become the biggest-ever challenge and could be fought against while strictly observing the SOPs with complete unity and harmony. “This is not a right time to indulge in petty politics but to get united,” he said and urged the opposition to shun political point-scoring, evolve policies in the best interest of people and join hands with the government to fight against coronavirus pandemic.

In the PM Imran Khan’s government, Chaudhry Sarwar said, all decisions were being taken in the best interest of the people. Stating that the business community in the country was facing worst-ever economic suppression, he acknowledged that the business community was still working to provide ration to the families whose bread-winners had lost their jobs during the ongoing coronavirus crisis. He said that the history would remember all those who would serve the distressed humanity in these hard times. Chaudhry Sarwar said the government had eased restrictions in the lockdown to offer relief to the business community. Now, he said, it was business community’s responsibility to strictly implement and observe SOPs to save workers and customers from getting infected by the coronavirus. “The spread of coronavirus is expected to see massive surge in the days to come,” the governor warned.