RAWALPINDI: Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Saturday instructed Pakistan Army to accelerate efforts to support the civil administration in its fight against coronavirus, as he urged the people to practice social distancing in a bid to flatten the curve.
According to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the army is “once again in the forefront of fighting a national challenge, with army institutions and doctors fully assisting the civil administration and utilising all resources at their disposal to effectively combat coronavirus outbreak”.
The army chief stressed that protective step by every individual is important to meet this challenge. He said: “We have to become a responsible citizen so that the collective efforts at the government and institutions level are made successful.”
He said responsibility rests with every Pakistani to fully comply with the instructions of the government and the health ministry regarding coronavirus. This, he said, will lead to the success of national efforts.
Following a meeting of the National Security Committee, Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa had instructed all formations of the army to reach out to the civil administration, even at district and tehsil levels, in their respective domains to control the crisis.
While scientists under the supervision of the army are busy researching and manufacturing personal protection equipment, such as facemasks and hand sanitisers, a ‘medical plan of action’ has been compiled under the supervision of the surgeon general of Pakistan Army to support the government efforts to fight the disease.
The armed forces are helping out screening of passengers at all operational airports within the country, besides screening, scanning, and shifting of the suspect cases at all the entry points of the country. Besides, all the medical facilities of the armed forces are being utilized for assistance and load management of coronavirus patients at the moment.
Pakistan Army has helped establish a 10,000-bed field hospital at Karachi’s Expo Centre. A special quarantine centre has also been established by the Pakistan Army to facilitate patients. The hospital is meant to isolate and treat confirmed patients of the coronavirus in a safe and secure environment, away from common people and other patients in the city.
The Medical Corps of Pakistan Army has come forward to help in the establishment of the field hospital on the request of the Sindh government. Moreover, the army and the Rangers are assisting in operating health facilities in Sukkur, Dera Ghazi Khan and Multan.
The Pakistan Army is also assisting the civil administration in physical and information domains to tackle the coronavirus outbreak. The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) and the information and health ministries have collectively formed a ‘Risk Communication Strategy’ aimed at leaving no communication gap between the people and the institutions as well as busting all negative propaganda and misinformation doing rounds on the social media.
In his latest directions on Saturday, Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa ordered the armed forces to fast-track operations to help out the civil administration in controlling the coronavirus. However, he urged the public to protect themselves on the individual level.
Inter-Services Public Relations office of the Armed Forces in a statement after a conclusion of a meeting between Prime Minister Imran Khan and Army Chief Qamar Javed Bajwa said that the military has been directed to play a more active role in helping the civilian government amid the global coronavirus pandemic.
The army chief emphasised social distancing as the best possible defense mechanism against the coronavirus and said that individual efforts will eventually end up saving the entire nation if everyone abides by the rules of quarantined self-isolation.
COAS Bajwa said that it was an obligation of every Pakistani to act in accordance with the directives issued by the ministry of health and the government.
He also said that the country’s security establishment sees the protection of the country and its people as a sacred duty and it will perform it to the best of their abilities in these times of global crisis.
The army chief also underscored the need for mutual understanding and partnerships among the state institutions to tackle the dangerous threat of coronavirus.
