PML-N blasts govt over opaque virus strategy

Ag Agencies

ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has criticised the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government for “not developing a clear strategy” to cope with the coronavirus crisis and called for the mandatory use of masks in public places.

As lawmakers resumed debating the pandemic response at the National Assembly on Wednesday, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) senior vice president said the government had yet to spell out any policy to deal with the ensuing health crisis, and urged the ruling PTI to lay out a comprehensive plan regarding official measures being taken to tackle the situation.

He also excoriated Prime Minister Imran Khan — who also presides over the Ministry of Health — for not consulting parliament to formulate a strategy against Covid-19.

This is the third consecutive day that the government has come under severe criticism from the opposition — in both the Lower and Upper houses — over its handling of the crisis and decision to ease the lockdown despite rising cases of Covid-19.

Abbasi said: “The government is busy making media appearances and websites instead of coming up with a clear strategy.” He also lamented that “no effective awareness campaign was launched to educate the masses on precautionary measures against the deadly virus”.

“PTI cannot run the country,” he added. He said: “Only 11,848 tests were conducted the other day despite the government’s claims that 20,000 tests are being conducted in the country on a daily basis. There was no lockdown in 70 per cent of the country.

“The public will have to bear the brunt of the government’s inability to make decisions. The government was sound asleep at the time of the sugar crisis and did not take any decision.”

He also demanded that the government provide details of expenses incurred on purchases of medical equipment, the measures the government has taken to combat the virus, and the Prime Minister’s Corona Relief Tiger Force. He also asked the government to apprise the house of where it spent “Rs500 billion” in funds.

Defending the government’s pandemic response, federal education minister Shafqat Mehmood said “unfortunately the opposition parties had not put forward any suggestion to control the coronavirus”. He added: “The opposition is just playing politics on the issue.”

Mehmood said the objective of the session was to come up with a joint strategy to deal with coronavirus, but it looked difficult as the opposition was not “serious”.

Seeking to defend the government’s decision to ease the lockdown, he said it was “a good sign” that the spread of coronavirus in Pakistan was not as severe as other countries. “The condition is much better if compared to rest of the world,” he added.

Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl’s (JUI-F) Shahida Akhtar Ali also urged the government to come up with a comprehensive strategy to deal with the coronavirus effectively. She said a proper monitoring policy should be devised to check the relief activities across the country.

Pakistan Peoples Party’s Raja Pervaiz Ashraf said the challenge of the coronavirus could be tackled by rising above “petty political considerations and by staying united”. He said PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had shown willingness to extend cooperation to the government on the issue of coronavirus.

PML-N’s Khawaja Saad Rafique suggested steps to improve facilities at quarantine centres and reduce the prices of coronavirus tests. He said the PML-N had made “tremendous contribution” to the health sector in Punjab.