MPs flout corona SOPs in NA

ISLAMABAD: As the opposition leaders Monday accused the government of adopting a confused and isolated approach towards tackling the COVID-19 spread, the cabinet members defended the prime minister’s decision of easing down the lockdown, as it was also being eased in the other parts of the world.

The opposition leaders observed that the country could have averted the coming peak situation had the federal government stuck to its decision of complete lockdown.

Taking part in the debate on the COVID-19 situation in the country, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari accused Prime Minister Imran Khan of being incompetent, non-serious, and negligent to handle the situation. PML-N parliamentary leader Khawaja Muhammad Asif observed that the PTI instead of creating national unity and approach on different issues was bent on victimizing the opponents and taking isolated decisions.

The parliamentarians were directed to sit while keeping distance from each other with masks on. However, some of them were seen sitting close to each.

Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri repeatedly warned the members to keep distance from each other and if they need to talk, they should leave the hall.

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said the world was facing an unprecedented situation and worst crisis after the World War-II in the wake of spread of COVID-19.

As 18 months would be required to invent a vaccine which is the only cure to the pandemic, he said there was need to find out solution to keep the life go on.

He said even the most advanced countries like the United States, the UK, Italy, France and Spain had been highest number of deaths and positive cases than the rest of the world.

In Pakistan, he said where the health care system was fragile, over 600 deaths had been reported until May 10, while over 29,000 had been affected by the pandemic.

He said the testing capacity, which was 100 tests per day on February 26, had increased to 20,000 tests per day to date, while the number of laboratories had also increased from eight to 70. So far, 283, 517 tests have been conducted.

“This capacity is still insufficient and we are trying to increase the capacity gradually which will further make the situation clearer,” the minister said, claiming that the testing capacity of Pakistan was better than any country in South Asia.

He said compared to other countries, Pakistan showed immediate response to COVID-19. He said a meeting of the National Security Council was called, which was attended by the top civil and military leadership and after consultation, NCC and NCOC were established.

“The purpose was to have uniform information, coordinated response,” he said.

He said Pakistan strongly condemned and rejected Hinuvta and hatred against the Muslim population being created in India. He said it was wrong to point a finger at the people belonging to the Tableeghi Jamaat and Zaireen coming from Iran.

He said there was no truth in impression that the federal government was meting out injustice to the people of the Sindh adding that the government was moving forward with a national thought.

He said by May 10, a financial assistance of Rs26 billion had been provided to 2.3 million families in Sindh province, while the province also received more protective dresses, face masks and N-95 masks when compared to the population ratio there.

“There will also be no provincialism when it comes to financial assistance to persons rendered jobless due to COVID-19,” he said.

He said the PPP was fanning provincialism and advised that its leadership should correct its approach.

Questioning whether Pakistan could afford a prolonged lockdown if the situation goes on, he said over 18.6 million people would be laid off.

“In order to save people from losing jobs and save more people to go below the poverty line, the government decided to ease the lockdown,” he said.

Qureshi said Pakistan accepted Indian Prime Minister’s offer to hold SAARC meeting of health ministers.

“We accepted to hold the conference in the name of humanity despite the fact that we reject their Hinduvta philosophy and Modi’s brutal face.”

He assured the PML-N parliamentary leader Khawaja Asif and PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari that their suggestions would be given weight while framing the national strategy against COVID-19.

Khawaja Asif said Shahbaz Sharif, who was a cancer patient, decided to stay away from the proceedings on advice of his physicians. He regretted that the NAB continued to arrest opponents saying that the Jang/Geo Editor-in-Chief Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman, Hamza Shahbaz, and Khurshid Shah were behind the bars, while the prime minister and foreign minister were talking about national approach.

He questioned whether it was a national policy that the political opponents were being targeted and they were being arrested and kept in detention.

“Their party leaders get dates and opposition leaders are arrested on basis of a dream,” he said, adding what national thought the foreign minister was talking about in his speech.

He said it was time for keeping the national unity, while the government was following the policy of victimization and hatred against opponents.

He regretted that since February 26 when the first case was reported, the precautionary measures on part of the federal government did not match the increasing number of cases.

He said the government was following a confused policy, as it first decided for a lockdown, then smart lockdown and then announced an ease in the lockdown.

Talking about the government’s priorities in the health sector, he regretted that there was no health minister in the country and the prime minister himself was keeping the portfolio.

He said the fault lines, which were filled with the 18th Amendment were being created again adding that the foreign minister should have avoided accusing the PPP of playing the Sindh card.

He said either there should be lockdown or no lockdown adding that the innovation of smart lockdown would not work.

“We could have averted the coming peak situation had the government continued the complete lockdown for one to one and a half month instead of easing down the situation,” he said.

He advised the government not to touch the 18th Amendment, which was made in the Constitution with consensus.

“18th Amendment is result of consensus among the federating units,” he said.

He said over 59,000 tests, which were conducted in the hospitals of Punjab were created by the PML-N government in different tenures.

“Will the PTI government in KP province tell which health institution they have created?” he questioned.

He feared that due to the flip-flop strategy, it seemed the government had no concrete plans to face the situation. He regretted that there were reports that billions of rupees medicines had been imported from India.

Talking about poor facilities provided at the quarantines, he said the people being kept there try to escape. He pointed out that the national economy, which had already collapsed in the last one and half years, was being handed over to the pandemic.

He questioned whether Parliament was not competent enough that an elected representative be named as the health minister.

“We will face a more difficult situation where there is no health minister, no health regulator, and ban on PMDC,” he said.

He said the prime minister himself was confused and he was confusing the whole nation by giving contradictory statements.

“This is matter of incompetency, negligence, and non-seriousness,” he said.

Federal Minister for Industries and Production, Hammad Azhar advised the opposition parties to refrain from political point scoring. He said none of the past governments could claim creating better health facilities seeing the situation of malnutrition.

He pointed out that as per different reports of independent institutions, no less than 0.9 million small businesses would close down and millions of more people would find themselves below poverty line and more millions of people would lose jobs had the completed lockdown continued for another one month.

He pointed out that all the decisions with regard to easing down lockdown or complete lockdown were taken by the NCC with consensus, and there was need to take all the decisions while living above political bias.

Minister for Communication Murad Saeed said the government took the best possible decisions to prevent the spread of corona in difficult circumstances.

“The opposition should also demonstrate seriousness at least in the present situation,” he said.

He pointed out that the world had also hailed the government steps with regard to the smart lockdown in order to save people from joblessness and starvation.

On the other hand, he said the Sindh government announced complete lockdown but people were seen lodging protests in Hyderabad, Sehwan Sharif and other parts of the country for not getting ration packages.

“The provincial government should tell where the ration was distributed,” he said, adding Prime Minister Imran Khan announced a record relief package for 12 million families.

He regretted that the past governments in the last 35 to 40 years did nothing in the health sectors whereas the incumbent government not only increased number of test laboratories but also enhanced testing capacity from 100 to 20,000 cases per day.

He said the Sindh government miserably failed on the issue of lockdown whereas the international community was praising the federal government’s decisions in the present circumstances.