Let’s fight corona together, Bilawal to Centre

ISLAMABAD: Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari Monday slammed the government for ‘politicising’ the coronavirus and offered to work together rising above the political differences for the betterment of the people.

Speaking in the National Assembly, he criticized the absence of Prime Minister Imran Khan in the House saying the prime minister, who was also health minister, must have been in the House, as it was part of his job being the Leader of the House.

“Our prime minister is confused, incompetent, and unable to fulfill his responsibilities. He is not ready to become prime minister of the country and the whole nation, as he is happy acting as the prime minister of PTI and addressing his audience,” he thundered.

He said the provinces were fighting against the coronavirus with their available resources and capacities but the federal government didn’t play its due role in a situation when the entire country was at war against the pandemic.

The PPP chairman said though it was a war, Prime Imran Khan appeared to have gone missing, and it was tragic that he was not fulfilling his responsibilities as the prime minister.

Bilawal pointed out that more than 700 frontline workers had been infected with the contagious virus so far, while 11 health workers had died fighting the disease.

“The world is saluting doctors, nurses, and paramedics but in Pakistan our heroes face imprisonment and torture for demanding Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to fight against coronavirus,” he added.

He pointed out that the federal government had been making promises from the day one for giving relief to daily wagers and laborers but it did nothing so far and instead its representative – Sindh Governor Imran Ismail – had refused to sign an ordinance issued by the government to provide relief in the backdrop of lockdown. He called it a bid to sabotage the province’s efforts.

He further said whenever the nation needed unity in the face of economic crisis, Kashmir issue, or now coronavirus, Imran Khan refused to play the role of a prime minister.

Bilawal said the federal government should have contributed two rupees where provinces spent one rupee against the coronavirus but it failed to take adequate steps.

“There are no kits available at the Nishtar Hospital, Multan which the PPP had to provide,” he added.

He said unfortunately the PTI leaders issued irresponsible statements and asked that the federal government should decide whether it was a complete lockdown, a smart lockdown or for easing restrictions, as ‘you have to get ready for isolation and quarantine wards in the hospitals’. However, the government kept creating confusion, he regretted.

Bilawal further said crises befall to test leaderships adding, “Our prime minister, who is also minister for health services, should have been present in the session and it was his responsibility to apprise the masses and the House of threats posed by coronavirus and measures taken for its prevention and cure.”

Though Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi tried to generate a debate on the Sindh province and 18th Amendment during the session, Bilawal chose to limit his speech to the virus and steps required against it.

However, he pointed out that their cooperation offer was responded to with an abusive language against his party leaders and Sindh chief minister and a campaign was carried out against their hard work and efforts.

“One of their leaders who is inducting as governor even went on to allege that he was infected with coronavirus due to ignorant and illiterate people of Sindh,” he said.

Bilawal again stressed that this was not time for politics because the country was facing a very dangerous crisis.

He appreciated the provinces for increasing their testing capacities but lamented that the federal government had not fulfilled its promise for provision of testing labs to the provinces so far.

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari further pointed out that chairman NDMA himself had fixed the target of 50,000 COVID-19 tests per day but the target was not met.

He said the prime minister could not ask the provinces to fight on their own especially when ‘we are at war or we cannot send our soldiers to a war without giving them protective and fighting equipment.’

He reiterated his offer to work with the federal government and asked the prime minister to amend the batting order of his team and bring sober and graceful people to the fore by sidelining those spitting venom and resorting to abusive language at a time when the country deserved unity. In that case, he said that the PPP is ready to with government in backdoor.