- Delay could have been costly
The NSC meeting has taken a number of vital decisions that were beyond the purview of the provincial governments like closing the borders with Iran and Afghanistan for 15 days and cancelling the Pakistan Day parade. Educational institutions all over the country have also been closed till April 5.
So far the nationwide anti-coronavirus campaign has been weak, disorganized and without the national leadership’s full and meaningful support. It is time now that the Prime Minister himself takes up the daunting challenge of dealing with the coronavirus which has turned into a pandemic and is spreading like wildfire all over the world. The task is simply beyond the capacities of Health Services SAPM Dr Zafar Mirza. It speaks volumes about the PTI government’s apathy that for more than two months it felt no need to launch nationwide coordinated efforts or mobilise the required resources to deal with the gruesome virus that has so far killed 5,120 and infected 139,637 in 119 countries. The negligence continued despite daily reports in the international media about the aggressive advance of the viral disease and the failure of the most advanced countries to bring it under control. An attempt by the Sindh Chief Minister to persuade the federal government to call a meeting of all the provincial heads had met with a less than enthusiastic response and no chief minister other than the proposer himself turned up for the meeting.
The Army’s help should be sought to set up quarantine camps in various provinces with adequate facilities as is being done in India. Concerned agencies should be directed to keep track of incoming passengers as they travel to their destinations in the country and share their record with the provincial governments for necessary follow up. The capacity of the hospitals to treat a large number of patients needs to be enhanced. While it has been decided to close the seminaries like mainstream educational institutions, there is also a need to persuade the ulema to postpone the Tablighi gatherings, annual urses at saints’ mausoleums and rallies and conventions by various sects. Unless the Prime Minister takes the lead the tasks cannot be adequately performed.
