No let-up in PTI-PPP Covid-19 tug of war

Ag APP

KARACHI/ISLAMABAD: The tug of war between the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the Pakistan Peoples Party-led Sindh government on the coronavirus response continued unabated as the confirmed cases of Covid-19 surged past 45,000 across the country on Tuesday.

Talking to the media, Sindh assembly opposition leader Firdous Naqvi called for governor rule over the “emergency” in the province, claiming the situation in Sindh was deteriorating rapidly. “Therefore, there is nothing wrong with imposing governor rule,” he added.

Sindh and the Centre have been wrangling over Covid-19 lockdowns ever since Sindh imposed strict curbs in the province in late March. Prime Minister Imran Khan has been vocal about his opposition to the restrictions and the federal government began rolling back lockdowns last week amid sharp upticks in confirmed coronavirus cases nationwide. As of this report, Pakistan has 45,002 infections with 969 deaths due to Covid-19.

“Sindh government claims it has spent billions of rupees on the health sector, however, they have failed to present the accurate trail of the expenditure,” Naqvi claimed, adding the provincial government had not yet shared a plan on how it would revive Sindh’s economy that has been affected during the extended lockdown.

In response, Sindh government spokesperson Murtaza Wahab lambasted Naqvi’s claims and said the calls for governor rule are “nothing new”. Wahab said: “Had you been a bit balanced — which you are not — but had you been balanced, you would have accused the federal government of financial impropriety, not Sindh government.”

Meanwhile, a five-member bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Gulzar Ahmed, continued the suo motu hearing over the coronavirus response, during which he expressed concern over the conditions at quarantine centres. The chief justice said 10 people were placed side by side in a room. The people were not getting potable water in quarantine centres and cleanliness was also not being ensured there, he remarked. He said the videos of poor conditions at the centres were circulating on social media. Justice Gulzar also spoke about complaints of corona-positive patients bribing authorities to leave the quarantine centres.

He said Pakistan was a poor country and the powerful were “playing with money” and did not care for their poor fellows. He also said the educated youth were not being utilised to help the people in need.

Attorney General for Pakistan Khalid Javed Khan informed the court that Pakistan now had the capability to make ventilators.

The chief justice said the country should be “self-sufficient in everything”, saying a time would come when “nothing, including medicines, would be available from abroad”. “All surgical equipment should be made in Pakistan,” the chief justice added.

The attorney general said people were not taking the Covid-19 threat seriously after the apex court’s remarks, making it difficult for the administration to take measures to curb the deadly coronavirus. Advocate General Sindh Salman Talibuddin endorsed the opinion saying the lockdown was no more effective as shops had been allowed to open. Beauty salons and barber shops were also opening, he added.

As the lockdown eases, people across the country have flocked markets for Eid shopping. Social media posts have been flooded with photographs and videos of teeming markets, showing shopkeepers and people without masks and ignoring the government’s social distancing advice.

The chief justice in response observed that the businesses were not opening because of the court, rather police inspectors were permitting traders to reopen after receiving bribes.

Justice Ahmed clarified that the Supreme Court did not make any remarks against the Sindh government, which had even allowed its offices to reopen. The chief justice said the apex court was not concerned about the expenses being incurred by the state to overcome the pandemic rather about the quality of the services being provided to Covid-19 patients.

Justice Ahmed said the decision to open the shops was until Eid, which would be reviewed afterwards. When asked to clarify that the restrictions had only been relaxed until Eid, the chief justice said it would be done in the next hearing. The court directed the federal and provincial governments to submit their reports on the progress made so far till June 8.