- Now is not the time to play politics
The coronavirus, which has affected almost the whole world as more than 145 countries are reported to have so far been confronted with the menace, has rightly been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organisation. The world has never seen a pandemic like the one sparked by the coronavirus. With its epicentre shifting from China to Europe, and more and more countries in Asia as well becoming its victim the situation is extremely worrying, which demands a collective and coordinated action by the world community through the good offices of the UN in view of the fact that most of the countries of the Third World are not in a position on their own to deal with the effects of the coronavirus due to lack of resources and of availability of the required health facilities.
When the developed countries with state-of-the-art health facilities are finding it difficult to arrest the spread of the virus, it really is more worrying for the less developed countries. There is a genuine concern that if the virus is not controlled as soon as possible it could lead to the collapse of the global economy besides leaving indelible scars on the lives of the people across the world. Reportedly the number of coronavirus cases currently stands at 133,970 with the possibility of an exponential increase in them in the coming days. More than 5000 people have lost their lives.
Pakistan is lucky so far that only 31 persons have been found affected by the virus out which 30 are people who have come from abroad, or have travelled outside the country in the recent past. Only one case in Karachi has been reported of the virus being transmitted from one affected person to the other. However, that does not warrant any complacency on the part of the government or the society, as the WHO has warned that the countries that have not been affected by the virus in a big way must ready themselves for any eventuality. The warning cannot be taken lightly.
The Pakistani media has a great responsibility in the developing situation particularly with regard to sensitizing the masses about the impact that the spread of this virus in Pakistan can have, and also urging them to follow the precautionary instructions issued by the government, besides exposing the elements who are trying to politicize the issue for their narrow ends
It is pertinent to point out that the government of Pakistan, ever since the spread of the virus, realizing the danger posed by it, has taken adequate measures to ensure that the travelers coming from abroad are screened and sent to quarantine before allowing them to go to their homes. The closure of borders with Iran and Afghanistan was the first step in this regard, particularly sealing of the border with the former in view of the spread of the coronavirus in that country. The priority and urgency given by the government to the challenges posed by the coronavirus is amply proved by the fact that the issue was deliberated in the meeting of the National Security Committee, which decided to set up a National Coordination Committee charged with the responsibility of evaluating the situation and taking all necessary measures to deal with the emerging situation. The committee comprises concerned federal ministers, chief ministers, the Chairman NDMA, the Surgeon General of Pakistan, and representatives of the ISI, ISPR and Directorate of Military Operations. PM’s Special Assistant on Health Dr Zafar Mirza would be the convener of the committee. The formation of the committee is undoubtedly a prudent step as dealing the situation demanded the existence of a high-level body for coordinated efforts and unanimous decisions at the national level to curb the pandemic.
The decision by the NSC to close educational institutions, borders with Iran and Afghanistan, restrict international flights to only three airports, and cancel the Pakistan Day Parade, are timely steps to check the spread of the coronavirus. Adequate arrangements have already been made at the airports to screen the arriving passengers at airports and the land entry routes into the country, particularly at Taftan where a quarantine has also been set-up. The provincial governments are also fully alive to the situation and have also taken a number of measures at their own level to cope with the situation. No wonder then that the WHO has declared that Pakistan has world’s best national response programme. Perhaps it would be pertinent to quote what WHO country representative of WHO Dr Palitha Gunarathan Mahipala said in this regard. He observed “Pakistan has timely come up with one of the world’s best National Response Programmes against COVID-19 and it is being implemented very effectively. Authorities are doing their job and now it is the responsibility of the people to follow the instructions and take preventive and precautionary measures to avoid contracting the viral disease”.
The government has not only taken adequate steps to tackle the spread of the coronavirus but has also unleashed a sustained awareness campaign for the masses in regards to the precautionary measures that they need to take to avoid the possibility of contracting the disease. The WHO representative is right on money in advising the people to follow the instructions given by the government. Tackling the coronavirus surely requires collective efforts by the government and society. As they say prevention is better than cure. one can hardly take an issue with the precautionary measures announced by the government and the need for the masses is to fully comply with them.
The challenges posed by the pandemic need a well-coordinated national effort and there is hardly any room for politics on the issue. But it is regrettable to note that notwithstanding the fact that the WHO has eulogized the Pakistani actions as world’s best National Response Programme, some elements are trying to reap political gains from the situation by castigating the government for an inadequate response to the challenge. A rumour mill is also rolling in the social media with a view to create panic in the country. Those who are doing so need to revisit their actions and support the government efforts in dealing with the situation. Politics and settling scores can wait for appropriate times. Indulging in them right now is tantamount to harming the national cause.
The Pakistani media has a great responsibility in the developing situation particularly with regard to sensitizing the masses about the impact that the spread of this virus in Pakistan can have, and also urging them to follow the precautionary instructions issued by the government, besides exposing the elements who are trying to politicize the issue for their narrow ends.