Pakistan caught between fast spread of COVID-19 and incoherent lockdown

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

“COVID-19 has infected about nine million worldwide, with nearly half a million fatalities. Beijing has reported fresh outbreak and their leadership putting wartime measures to contain the spread by enforcing strict lockdown and testing. Europe is opening up after huge loss of life and prolonged lockdown.” 

This was observed by Senator Nisar Memon, a former federal minister, during an interview with PNFS on June 20. 

“Pakistan has moved to 14th position in worldometers with over 171,000 infections and more than 3,300 deaths. The government has put up alarms heralding the significant spread in coming weeks and Islamabad, the capital, is caught choosing between virus deaths versus poverty,” he pointed out. 

“People all over the world are awaiting the results of 135 vaccines which are believed to be in the process development to fight against the coronavirus but the citizens of Pakistan are caught between the fast spread of pandemic and incoherent lockdown within the country,” he regretted.

“It’s being hoped and prayed by the people of Pakistan that the leadership moves away from old political path of vengeance against the political adversaries, foreign begging bowls for oxygen to ailing economy, unrelenting discrimination against women, and undermining the parliament. The list is long with its long shadows on our future,” Senator Nisar Memon reckoned. 

“Whoever is perpetuating this is unacceptable and all those who are party to this are condemnable in the harshest of words. No justification stands to reason,” he asserted. 

Incoherent policy for handling pandemic, insufficient public health, education and services; foreign dependence for national budget, continued corruption and inefficiencies, according to him, were the major current national issues needed to be addressed. 

“The other week’s visit of Prime Minister to Sindh without showing necessary sympathy to kith and kin of medical and paramedics who succumbed to virus during supreme service; apathy to Karachi PIA crash and non-interaction with provincial Chief Executive has not helped create congenial environment to govern this sovereign nation,” he noted. 

“Nature has given us innumerable gifts. In last 70 years some good men and women have strengthened many institutions, we have youthful population, a strategic geopolitical advantage, strong standing army to defend frontiers and strategic weapons. Let’s build on it and not negate them,” Senator Nisar Memon reminded. 

“The past governments gave this country the mobile telecommunication and internet network which helped citizens to connect in lockdown isolation. We should now move to next stage where Information Technology infrastructure connects all the people and systems within the federation for needed services and economic development,” he suggested. 

The former federal minister emphasized that the institutions must strengthen themselves to fight disasters like COVID-19, locust swarms, food security, upcoming dengue spread, and any possible adventure on our frontiers and on line of control. 

“This can be achieved by protecting the Constitution without opening the settled issues. Power can be retained by good governance and conflict management, and not by conflict creation and crisis development,” he remarked. 

“Judiciary, parliament, media, and civil services must do self-accountability, like the armed forces. If current laws are inadequate they should request parliament for new laws to make them strong to defend Pakistan. We have various TV channels: news, entertainment, religion, sport but none for parliament,” he highlighted. “

One of the reasons why China is able to effectively address issues faced by its citizens is because their President has the grassroots political experience before presiding over the destiny of 1.4 billion,” the former federal minister opined, adding that the people of Pakistan could only pray and appeal to those in power and urge all institutions to protect themselves to save the federation and its constitution.