ISLAMABAD: Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry on Monday said the Sindh government was not able to implement Covid-19 restrictions in the province and decided to impose the quarantine on its own.
Speaking to a television channel, the minister said that the federal government has made its position regarding blanket quarantines clear from the very first day.
Detailing the communication between federal and provincial governments ahead of Covid-related restrictions in Karachi, Fawad said Chief Minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah contacted Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar, who also heads the National Command and Operation Center, and Minister of State for National Health Services Dr Faisal Sultan.
“The chief minister conveyed that they are going to impose lockdown,” he said, adding he was conveyed that the provinces could not decide on lockdown without consulting the Centre and were not authorised to take individual decisions.
“We have jointly fought three waves of Covid-19 successfully and why there is a need to change the policy now,” Fawad said.
He said reasons that led to a surge in positivity ratio in Karachi to 30 percent should be thoroughly probed, blaming the province for not implementing guidelines letter and spirit.
He said that the government could not shut down the industries completely and snatch livelihood from daily earners.
“We have to move forward in line with the NCOC policies,” he said, warning if the province did not implement the directives of the NCOC, the federal government would be compelled to use its constitutional options.
Separately, and it emerged that station house officers in Sindh can now take action against people violating coronavirus standard operation procedures, a notification from the province’s home department said Monday.
In the amended notification, the home department said police inspectors could take action against those involved in violating the SOP at offices, industries, and shops.
The police officials have been allowed to take action under Section 3(1) of the Sindh Epidemic Diseases Act, 2014, the notification said.
The powers were earlier restricted to deputy and assistant commissioners.
“Beside Deputy Commissioners, Assistant Commissioners, Labour Officers concerned as well as personnel of Law Enforcement Agencies not below the rank of Inspector Police (or equivalent rank for other LEAs), the Additional Deputy Commissioners, Mukhtiarkars and Officers Incharge of Police Stations are also empowered under section 3(1) of the Sindh Epidemic Diseases Act, 2014 (The Sindh Act VII of 2015) to take any legal action on any act in contravention of this (original/amended) order or directions/notices issued thereunder and including action under section 188 of Pakistan Penal Code 1860,” it said.
The development comes after the Sindh government had imposed province-wide restrictions to curb coronavirus following a surge in cases due to the Delta variant.
