Arif Rana
Prime Minister Imran Khan has again flatly refused to take advice from
National Command Operation Center on Corona Control (NCOC) for imposing a countrywide lockdown from the first week of July, reliable sources told daily Newsman.
‘Imran Khan was told by NCOC officials that there was a great danger of wide spread of Covid-19 in July and the urgent pre-emotive measures were needed including lockdown in whole country at least for two weeks, but he flatly refused to accept the proposal’, sources said.
PM Khan has been resisting any move initiated by NCOC or any other related forum regarding lockdown in the country. Instead of paying to these proposals, he advocates many reasons for not agreeing to lockdown. His first argument is that lockdown without proper preparation can put lives of the poor at risk, besides playing havoc with already fragile economy.
Since the emergence of Covid-19 in February, Imran Khan has consistent point of view about the lockdown of the whole country in one go. He rather preferred other options like smart lockdown.
In April, when Sindh imposed lockdown in the province in opposition to IK’s strategy, the PM expressed his anger over the decision and publically lamented the strategy of Sindh government. He also termed the decision as an act of the elite. This triggered an endless war of words between the Centre and the Sindh government.
Even going through the pandemic a long way, both the stakeholders (the Centre and Sindh government) have altogether different approach towards the issue. Although World Health Organisation (WHO) had issued a warning to Pakistan and urged upon the government to take strict measures to stop further outbreak of the deadly disease but Islamabad is not ready to listen to its advice. Islamabad told WTO in recent weeks that Pakistan was following a novel approach and it will go by it to defeat the disease.
The government never took the Opposition on board over the issue which demanded a comprehensive national strategy to fight out the pandemic as early as possible. The government’s non-seriousness can be gauged from the childish statements of some members of the cabinet like Zartaj Gul.
Pakistan is passing through a difficult phase due to Covid-19 and its far reaching impact but the government is not serious enough to tackle it effectively.