Sindh hasn’t received a single penny from the federal government in its fight against the novel coronavirus, says Pakistan People’s Party Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.
“Sindh has been testing with 90% of its resources,” he said in a press conference in Karachi on Friday. The centre has to help us now and invest in our healthcare, Bilawal said.
He emphasised that the healthcare system in Sindh is under a lot of pressure because of lack of resources. “The entire country is battling the coronavirus, but Karachi is the most densely populated city in the country with the highest number of daily wagers,” he said.
“I’m most concerned about my people from Lyari and Landhi,” Bilawal said, adding that they have been the most affected from the virus and are the most ignored too.
He said the province didn’t have adequate COVID-19 testing kits, ventilators and other medical facilities to counter the virus.
The federal government has to help us on a district level through the development of isolation and quarantine centres, increasing testing capacities and providing relief to daily wagers, the PPP chairperson said.
“If we [Sindh] will succeed, you will succeed too,” Bilawal said, adding that the least the centre could do was support Sindh instead of opposing it.
“We tell people to stay indoors. These are the protocols given by the World Health Organisation and doctors across the country. But when we say this, the federal government opposes our statement, creating confusion among the public,” he said.
Bilawal pointed out that during times of crisis, where a country is battling a global pandemic, food security is one of the most important things to assure.
“It was announced that there will be an agricultural package, but it hasn’t come out yet,” he said.
Locusts have attacked Sindh. In the last budget, Bilawal said, they appealed to the federal government to fight the locusts and help the provincial governments. “I’ve even heard that the federal government took time to respond to coronavirus because they were getting ready to fight the locusts and the locusts arrived but the federal plans still haven’t,” Bilawal retorted.
“Locusts are challenging our food security. The centre isn’t even willing to help us kill locusts.”
He criticised the government for always talking about the 18th Amendment but never taking responsibility itself.
“If the PM just wants to be the prime minister of Islamabad then it will be very difficult to fight coronavirus,” Bilawal said, adding that PM Khan should get off his container and do his job. “Be the prime minister,” he said.
“If he can’t do his work, then he should resign and let someone else take his place,” the PPP chairperson said.
He said that due to COVID-19, the government now has fiscal space and is responsible for the economy.
“We have received donations from the G-20, World Bank and the International Monetary Fund,” Bilawal explained. “Even oil prices have gone down.”
This money should be used on providing doctors, nurses and paramedics with safety equipment. It should be spent on providing relief to the daily wage workers.
Bilawal reiterated that through the Benazir Income Support Programme, daily wage workers and the poor segments of society should be reached out and transferred cash. “More than 75% daily wagers in the country are suffering,” he said.
Bilawal added that on the occasion of Labour Day, he wanted to salute the doctors, nurses and other paramedic staff battling the deadly virus on the front lines.
“Today, we should think about them and their needs. We should think about their demands. They have been shouting across the country. All they are requesting for are personal protective equipment.”
Bilawal emphasised that the government should fulfill their demands as these people were the nation’s “assets” during these times.
Pakistan has always gotten out of all of its crisis whether it’s terrorism, war or anything else and it can defeat this pandemic as well, he said.
“When people’s lives are in danger and their health is compromised, it’s the responsibility of the govt to look after them,” Bilawal concluded, stating that the prime minister should start doing his job now.
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