ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Planning Asad Umar on Wednesday said that the government is taking decisions while keeping in view all ground realities to steer the country out of the prevailing coronavirus situation.
Addressing a press conference along with Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Health Dr Zafar Mirza and Special Assistant to Prime Minister on National Security Division Moeed Yusuf, he said that the government is fighting a war at different fronts, including poverty, hunger and weak economy.
The minister said that public health is the top priority of the incumbent government but the government has to take care of poor deserving families as well. He added that so Rs35 billion have been distributed among 28,68,000 poor deserving families under Ehsaas Emergency Cash Programme.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr Mirza said that the total number of coronavirus cases in Pakistan had soared to 5,988 with 2,945in Punjab, 1,518 in Sindh, 865 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), 240 in Balochistan, 140 in Islamabad, 46 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and 234 in Gilgit Baltistan (GB).
He said that so far 1,500 patients have recovered, 44 people are in critical condition, while 107 patients have died so far.
Dr Zafar Mirza said that during the last 24 hours, 3,280 tests were conducted, out of which 272 cases were found positive, while 11 deaths were reported from various parts of the country.
He said that although the government has decided to operationalise the construction industry, the labourers and workers would still need to exercise utmost care while working in industries.
In his remarks, Yusuf said that repatriation of Pakistani prisoners and labourers stranded in different countries is a key priority of the government and six airports have been made operational in this regard.
He said that 2,000 passengers stranded in different countries, including United Arab Emirates (UAE), Japan, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, and Oman, will be brought back to their homeland till Saturday.
He further informed that 41 Pakistanis will be brought back from India through Wagah border on Thursday. He added that the government is also making a comprehensive strategy to bring back Pakistanis stranded in Afghanistan.
