Bilawal decries govt’s ‘botched’ response to virus, locust threats

KARACHI/ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Saturday launched a fresh broadside over the federal government’s coronavirus response, accusing the Centre of misleading the nation by downplaying the virus threat.

“The federal government is fooling the people,” the PPP chief said during a fiery news conference outside the Sindh Assembly, where he heaped scorn on the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) over what he characterised as botched responses to the coronavirus pandemic and the locust threat.

“If you won’t listen to us (Sindh government), at least listen to those who are on the front line,” the PPP chairman said. He lamented that Pakistan’s ratio of death is greater than India or China, as he decried the PTI’s “sabotage” of the Sindh government’s attempts to rein in the virus. This is not the first time Bilawal has attacked the Centre — whose ministers have frequently clashed with Sindh over the lockdown.

His presser came hours after planning minister Asad Umar said the government’s “foremost priority” is to slow the spread of the coronavirus amid an outbreak that is quickly straining hospital resources with nearly new 5,000 cases registered for the past five days.

“Two of the most important components of this strategy are to strictly follow the precautionary measures advised by the medical community and to bring changes in our lifestyles,” Umar was quoted as saying by state media during a media briefing from the National Command and Operations Centre on Saturday.

The minister said more than 1,900 precious lives have so far been lost in Pakistan by this “killer disease”, which shows the “enormity and gravity” of the situation. In a 24-hour-period, the country saw 4,734 new infections, taking total cases in the country to 90,793, while the deaths of 97 more people took the death toll to 1,935. Thus far, 32,581 have recovered.

During his briefing, Umar said those who are not adopting precautionary measures are not only risking their own lives, but also the lives of others. He added that district administrations across the country have been directed to take strict action where people flout the rules and SOPs.

The planning minister said the basic aim entrusted to administration is to protect the lives of 210 million people in Pakistan. The government wants to help everyone earn their livelihoods, but not at the cost of peril to health of others, he said, adding that no one can be allowed to endanger life of others.

The minister said 884 areas of Pakistan have been under smart lockdown actions with more than 200,000 people impacted due to the restrictions.

Umar said the second priority of the government is to improve the health services for people. He said the number of ventilators in the country has seen a two-fold increase in four months. He added that scientific institutions of the country in collaboration with the private sector have started producing face masks and protective clothing.

In a separate media briefing, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on National Health Services, Dr Zafar Mirza, said 75 per cent of intensive care beds at hospitals are unoccupied, seeking to dispel the impression of a shortage of facilities for Covid-19 patients.

Dr Mirza said that only 25 per cent beds with ventilators are being used at hospitals to support coronavirus patients, while a sufficient quantity is available for incoming patients. “There is no shortage of beds, ventilators or any other facility for Covid-19 patients,” he added.

He also said there was no shortage of personal protection equipment (PPE) kits for frontline health workers and doctors as the government was regularly providing PPE kits to 450 hospitals across the country.

However, Sindh government spokesman Murtaza Wahab sounded the alarm, tweeting: “In Sindh, there are 198 Covid-19 patients in the intensive care unit today (Saturday). Out of these, 55 are on the ventilator. There are also 149 patients on breathing support at HDUs. These numbers have risen sharply since everything was allowed to be opened two weeks ago.”