Sunday, June 7, 2020
#Pakistan - #Coronavirus: Govt needs to pay attention to doctors advice as lockdown eases
Javed Aziz KhanAs Khyber Pakhtunkwa’s major hospitals exceed capacity amidst an eased lockdown close to Eid, the government needs to pay attention to doctors’ advice and grievances.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s hospitals are running short of facilities. According to some doctors, by the start of this week, there was no vacant bed at the isolation center for Covid-19 patients at Hayatabad Medical Complex, one of the three major hospitals in Peshawar and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The administration was asked to admit the new patients to another facility. According to doctors, there are 145 beds at the isolation ward of Hayatabad Medical Complex for Covid-19 patients while 14 beds were reserved in the ICU.
There are similar scenes at other hospitals where more people are coming with symptoms and need to be tested but they have to wait for their turn. There were cases in which people were refused tests, probably for lack of test kits, saying these were symptoms of flu but they were tested positive when they approached private facilities.
The number of cases in KP especially Peshawar is already concerning: one in every five deaths in Pakistan due to coronavirus is from only one district, Peshawar. The number of Covid-19 patients has been increasing since the relaxation of lockdown close to Eid. As tens of thousands of people flocked to markets for shopping ahead of Eid in markets, socialising on Eid, and attending funerals, hardly a few were seen to be following social distancing SOPs like wearing masks or keeping a safe distance from others. These occurrences fueled concerns that the number of Covid-19 patients may increase further in the coming weeks.
The situation is not just alarming for the government or concerned citizens but the health staff as well. Some doctors have asked the government functionaries to let them attend their press conferences to request people to follow government SOPs regarding social distancing or the health staff will stop treatment since an increasing number of people are being admitted on a daily basis.
Daily reports suggest that despite many doctors, nurses and other care-workers tested positive, the government was yet to provide proper facilities at hospitals. Apart from acute shortage, many even questioned the quality of the PPEs provided to doctors. The provincial doctors’ association has expressed concern over the increasing number of Covid-19 cases among the doctors and health staff across KP.
A huge embarrassment for the government amid the pandemic was the resignation of the in-charge of the intensive care unit of the biggest hospital of KP along with another colleague. The resignation of two doctors in ICU has caused concern amongst the doctors and other staff. The in charge of the ICU Dr Ayesha Mufti, an assistant professor, is said to be the only qualified intensivist and lone FCPS of acute medicine in KP. Dr Ayesha and Dr Mazhar were serving in ICU department of LRH when they decided to quit.
In her resignation letter, Dr Ayesha Mufti accused the LRH administration of “completely unprepared to deal with corona epidemic”. She stated there was no planning and even if there were a plan, the ICU and anesthesia department were never informed because they were not considered important part of the hospital.
The resignation of two doctors in ICU has caused concern amongst the doctors and other staff. The in charge of the ICU Dr Ayesha Mufti, an assistant professor, is said to be the only qualified intensivist and lone FCPS of acute medicine in KP.
“The number of nursing staff was highly inadequate inside the ICU, the quality of care was poor, hygienic conditions were very bad, we tried to communicate at various levels but instead we received an explanation by [the] dean over some minor issues. It was never ordered by any senior to physically inspect what was going on inside the ICU. After recovery of first four patients the remaining could not recover, poor nursing care has a huge role in it,” the doctor mentioned in the resignation letter.
Dr Mufti mentioned that the ICU was being run by six consultants only when the patient turnover was very rapid, the burden was huge and despite the fact that the admin knew this was the maximum capacity they opened a second ICU in thoracic unit. According to her, despite their maximum effort to run the general ICU with minimal and inexperienced staff, they faced criticism. In her letter, she highlighted that irrelevant doctors visited the ICU and questioned ICU management over arterial lines, CVP measurements, humidifiers and ted stockings. She added that they tried to advise anesthesiologist over setting of tidal volume for the patient.
“In daily Zoom meetings, we were made to answer questions asked by such irrelevant doctors with absolutely no concept of critical care. Some other departments of LRH were also destroyed in a similar fashion. The laboratories we asked for were never provided because it is not the priority of the hospital. I made a request for MDI adapters, and so far, no one has updated me about it. The head nurses were not going inside the ICU despite repeated questioning of poor nursing care,” stated the letter by Dr Mufti.
There were reports that many doctors and health staff at different hospitals in KP are planning to quit for lack of facilities for patients, and doctors.
The administration of the hospital denied these charges, saying there were a lot of deficiencies in protocol set for Covid-19 pandemic. The management said Dr Nausherwan Burki had to personally monitor each and every Covid-19 patient from the US and give suggestions. The management said Dr Burki had called an intensivist from Shaukat Khanum Hospital who also expressed his dissatisfaction over the ICU services in LRH.
A couple of weeks back, Taimur Jhagra, the provincial health minister said that the doctors are with the government are on the same page. “We will win the corona fight with strength of mind, courage and unity. Representatives of doctors’ associations that have had complicated relationships with government all sat together to give one message that we will shun aside differences and work together to win this,” he said.
But there have been a number of complaints by the doctors of neither providing sufficient and better-quality PPEs, masks and other facilities to those fighting this war on the frontline.
People in cities, suburbs and villages all need to be educated, or even forced to stay home and strictly follow SOPs to prevent the spread of Covid-19. For this reason, various influentials from prayer leaders in mosques of KP and the rest of Pakistan, parliament members, local government representatives, teachers, elders and anyone who wields power and has a say needs to be involved an in both countering negative propaganda and convincing people to follow social distancing SOPs to stay safe and keep their loved ones safe. Just a few ads and few social media posts cannot work in isolation unless serious and holistic efforts are made with the understanding that there are rural areas where social media, internet access and literacy are challenges. At the same time, the government needs to listen closely to doctors’ grievances and respond to the challenges that they are facing in real-time ranging from ensuring supply of PPEs to all kinds of technical facilities and support to the health staff to enable that they can safely and better test, treat and save patients.
#Coronavirus impact: Pakistan saw highest inflation in world during 2020
With the emergence of the coronavirus pandemic, the entire economic scenario was turned upside down.
For Pakistans residents, the fiscal year 2020 was the worst year as they witnessed highest inflation in the world forcing policymakers to increase the interest rate, according to the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP).
"Pakistan witnessed the highest inflation not only in comparison with the developed economies but also with emerging economies," said the Inflation Monitor for April issued by the SBP on Saturday.
The SBP pushed up interest rates to cool down the inflationary pressure during the fiscal year but high rates proved counterproductive as they further increased inflation while the private sector stopped borrowing costly money hampering industrial growth and services, reports Dawn news.
January witnessed 12-year high inflation at 14.6 percent. In response to the rising prices, the SBP rose the interest rates to 13.25 percent.
However, with the emergence of the coronavirus pandemic, the entire economic scenario was turned upside down as demand contraction lowered inflation forcing the SBP to cut down interest rates to 5.25 percent within just three months.
The rate cut announcement came as inflation slowed down, falling to 8.2 percent in May, much lower than the SBP projections for the month.
The July-May inflation for the current fiscal year slipped below to the State Bank's earlier projection of 11 percent to 10.94 percent. The number is expected to drop further in June.
The government has slashed petroleum prices thrice during the two months, which drastically reduced the cost of production, transportation, and finally reduced inflation.
The SBP has provided relief amounting to hundreds of billions in the form of principal payments deferrals, debts rescheduling, and lending on easier terms for the industrial sector to avoid massive layoffs.
https://www.khaleejtimes.com/coronavirus-pandemic/coronavirus-what-are-working-mums-concerned-about-as-dubai-offices-return-to-100--
Opinion: Against Corona virus, Pakistan Turns to a Traditional Remedy: Blame Ahmadis and Jews
Ahmadis, like Israel and Jews, are designated 'enemies of Islam,' and hence of Pakistan, accused of working in tandem to provoke crises across the Muslim world. Their latest plot? COVID-19.
Every few minutes for the past week, a viral meme entitled "coronavirus timeline in Pakistan’ has been shared by social media users in Pakistan. Written in Urdu transliterated into Latin script, the meme helpfully conveys the evolution of Pakistani conspiracy theories surrounding COVID-19 from January 2020 till May, as coronavirus has mutated from "Allah’s wrath on China" (January) to the globe-spanning claim that it’s a "hoax designed by Bill Gates to forcibly implant microchips" (May).
Tucked in for April is: "American and Israeli conspiracy." No anthology of conspiracy theories in Pakistan could be complete without superlatively imaginative attributions to Israel. In fact, had the meme been ranked by the degree of fixation of the conspiracists, and not a take on the evolution of the theories, Israel would’ve won first place in a walkover.
In meme terms, Israel would be best described by the baton roué, or bike fall, the template in Pakistan: the country is riding along steadily, when the movement is arrested by an obstacle of its own making. The bike falls, and the rider blames Israel.
Almost every perceived, often self-inflicted, predicament in the country is cited as a Jewish plot, not just by dedicated conspiracists, also by those ruling the country.As the perpetual imagined enemy of Pakistan, Israel is almost always hyphenated with its "partner in crime": the Ahmadiyya Muslim community, a revivalist, messianic Muslim sect founded in the late 19th century Punjab, in then-British India, with a following of 10-20 million, of which four million adherents live, precariously, in Pakistan.
Excommunicated in the very text of Pakistan’s constitution, forbidden by its Penal Code from "posing as Muslims," the Ahmadis, like Israel, are designated as "enemies of Islam" – and hence of Pakistan – with the two accused of working in tandem to provoke crises across the Muslim world.
Covid-19 cases in Pakistan approach 1 lakh mark
As the death toll crosses 2,000, PM Imran Khan continues to reject returning to a strict lockdown, citing economic collapse and an increase in poverty.
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has ruled out the return to a strict shutdown to stem the spread of coronavirus, saying the elitist idea would collapse the economy and increase poverty even as the COVID-19 cases in the country on Sunday inched closure to the 100,000-mark while the death toll rose to over 2,000.
A record 4,960 fresh coronavirus cases were reported in the last 24 hours, taking the nationwide tally to 98,943, according to the Ministry of National Health Services.
With 67 more fatalities due to COVID-19, the death toll jumped to 2,002 in the country.
The Health Ministry said that on the positive side, at least 33,465 patients have fully recovered so far.
So far 37,090 cases have been reported in Punjab, 36,364 in Sindh, 13,001 in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, 6,221 in Balochistan, 4,979 in Islamabad, 927 in Gilgit-Baltistan and 361 in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
Amid the spike in coronavirus cases, Prime Minister Khan on Saturday called for creating awareness among the masses regarding the severity of the coronavirus pandemic and the need for strict observance of the standard operating procedures (SOPs), the Express Tribune reported.
Khan again ruled out the return to a strict lockdown to stem the spread of coronavirus, stressing that the elitist idea would cause the economy to collapse and increase poverty. Instead, he insisted on a smart lockdown with strict adherence to the SOPs.
And some of our elite, wanting a lockdown – the elite who have the privilege of spacious homes and income unaffected by fallout of lockdown, he said in a series of tweets.
A lockdown means collapse of the economy and in poorer countries a steep rise in poverty, crushing the poor as happened in Modi’s lockdown in India, the prime minister added.
Only solution as world has discovered is smart lockdown which allows for economic activity with SOPs. We are amongst pioneers of this approach. I appeal to civil society, media, Ulema and our tiger force to create awareness amongst the public of Covid-19’s severity and the need to strictly observe SOPs, he tweeted.
Earlier this week, the prime minister ordered reopening of more sectors of the economy as part of easing the lockdown in order save people’s livelihood, particularly the daily-wage workers. However, since then there is a spurt in new cases.
Saturday, June 6, 2020
Opinion: #GeorgeFloydProtest - In #America, Protest Is Patriotic
The police are supposed to protect free speech, not suppress it.
Yet as they turned out to exercise their most basic rights as citizens, these Americans have often encountered only more contempt for those rights from the people who are supposed to protect them.
Some protesters crossed the line into violence. Some people took advantage of the chaos to loot. But all too often, facing peaceful demonstrations against police violence, the police responded with more violence — against protesters, journalists and bystanders. In a handful of cities, local leaders recognized what was at stake, and their response can point the way forward for the country. In Houston, the police chief, Art Acevedo, told protesters: “We will march as a department with everybody in this community. I will march until I can’t stand no more. But I will not allow anyone to tear down this city.”
He had the sense to recognize that a vast majority of demonstrators wanted what he wanted, a better city. And he clearly saw that the responsibility of the police was not to abridge but to safeguard the First Amendment, which protects freedom of speech, assembly, the press and religion.
In many places, the country is experiencing a communal breakdown so complete that mayors have thrown up their hands and ordered curfews or called in the National Guard. Unable to maintain urban life, they have tried to suspend it, just as they had done in response to the spread of the coronavirus. Healing the wounds ripped open in recent days and months will not be easy. The pandemic has made Americans fearful of their neighbors, cut them off from their communities of faith, shut their outlets for exercise and recreation and culture and learning. Worst of all, it has separated Americans from their own livelihoods.
Fear of the police has further separated communities from those sworn to protect their rights.
President Trump, who tends to see only political opportunity in public fear and anger, is in his customary manner contributing heat rather than light to the confrontations between protesters and authority. In the absence of national leadership, it is all the more vital that mayors and governors affirm the rules that ought to govern American society. The nation is founded on the freedom of speech — and particularly the right to gather in protest against the government. Politicians must hold the police accountable for protecting the rights of everyone they are sworn to protect and serve.
In the same vein, city and state leaders should pursue the reopening of houses of worship in consultation with public health authorities. Particularly in this agonizing time, many Americans want to turn to their communities of faith for support. And religious leaders have often been at the forefront of nonviolent social change.
The chaos unleashed by the death of Mr. Floyd defies simple prescriptions; it is a result of too many underlying conditions. Authorities are facing a stern test: It can be all but impossible to police the boundaries of legitimate protest, particularly on the ground. And it must be painful for many police officers who put their lives on the line to hear themselves criticized by their fellow citizens.
Yet the testimony of local journalism, eyewitnesses and videos posted online make clear that too many police officers have little interest in protecting legitimate protest. While some officers have joined protests or knelt in solidarity, others, often in the same cities, have acted savagely, inciting or exacerbating violence.
Just a few weeks ago, the police demonstrated remarkable forbearance as heavily armed groups turned out in several state capitals to oppose coronavirus-related public heath measures. Now the police are demonstrating an equally remarkable intolerance to protests against their own behavior.
The police have imposed arbitrary limits on protests, creating excuses for confrontation. They have fired countless rounds of tear gas and rubber bullets into unarmed crowds, sometimes without warning. They have attacked with fists, truncheons, shields — and cars.
They have behaved as if determined to prevent peaceful protest by introducing violence.
In some of the most troubling attacks, police officers have singled out those who spoke up, wading into crowds of protesters and silencing the loudest voices.
In Charleston, S.C., a black man dropped to one knee and told the police, “All of you are my family.” The police arrested him.
In Kansas City, Mo., a black man shouted from a crowd of protesters, “If you ain’t got the balls to protect the streets and protect and serve like you were paid to do, turn in your damned badge.” The police arrested him.
In scores of incidents across the country, police officers also have deliberately attacked journalists reporting on the protests. Minneapolis police arrested a CNN crew on live television. Video captured Louisville police firing pepper bullets at a local TV crew. The Manhattan district attorney’s office is investigating the alleged assault of a Wall Street Journal reporter by the police. Protesters, for their part, have also targeted reporters, including a Fox News crew outside the White House.
In a brazen display of this administration’s disregard for the First Amendment, the nation’s chief law enforcement officer, Attorney General William Barr, ordered federal officers to clear a peaceful protest in front of the White House. The police used tear gas, rubber bullets and riot shields to drive away protesters, journalists and priests standing on the private porch of St. John’s Church, all so Mr. Trump could pose for photos. The photo op managed to take aim at the freedom of assembly, speech and religion all at the same time.
On Tuesday, the Trump administration sent more troops into the streets of Washington. Armored vehicles patrolled downtown. Helicopters buzzed overhead. Soldiers trained for war in foreign countries stood on the corners of American streets, hands on guns.
Americans aren’t holding their breath for the president to change his incendiary behavior. But city leaders and governors have plenty of room to act in the meantime.There are signs some leaders recognize the damage that has been done. In Richmond, Va., where the police gassed peaceful demonstrators on Monday evening, the mayor, Levar Stoney, apologized Tuesday and promised to join a march. The chief of police, William Smith, took a knee in a show of contrition and solidarity.The governor of Minnesota, Tim Walz, apologized to the CNN reporters arrested in Minneapolis, and then took a moment to dilate on the importance of a free press.“The protection and security and safety of the journalists covering this is a top priority, not because it is a nice thing to do, because it is a key component of how we fix this,” Mr. Walz said. “Sunshine, disinfectant and seeing what’s happening has to be done.”
On Tuesday, Mr. Walz ordered a civil rights investigation into the “systemic racism” of the Minneapolis Police Department. It is not enough, right now, for officials to focus on protecting private property. It is not enough even for them to think only of protecting life, though that is critical. They need to also protect the freedoms of assembly and expression, and then, like Mr. Walz, to hear what’s being said. That’s where the healing may begin.
بلاول بھٹو کی پریس کانفرنس: ‘ملک میں کرونا وائرس پھیلایا گیا’
بلاول بھٹو زرداری نے کہا کہ وزیرِ اعظم کہتے ہیں کہ ملک میں کرونا وائرس پھیل چکا ہے اور اب ہم اسے روکنے کے لیے کچھ نہیں کر سکتے۔ انھوں نے کہا کہ وائرس نہ صرف پھیلا ہے بلکہ زبردستی پھیلایا گیا۔ انھوں نے کہا کہ سپریم کورٹ کے کرونا وائرس لاک ڈاؤن پر فیصلے کے بعد سندھ حکومت اتنی خود مختار نہیں رہی ہے۔ انھوں نے سوال کیا کہ پاکستان میں فی کس اموات کی شرح کے انڈیا سمیت دیگر ہمسایہ ممالک سے زیادہ ہونے پر وہ کس کو ذمہ دار ٹھہرائیں؟
انھوں نے کہا کہ ڈاکٹر اور نرسیں ابھی تک سراپا احتجاج ہیں کسی کو تو ان سے بات کرنے کی یہ ذمہ داری اٹھانی پڑے گی۔ پنجاب اور سندھ کی ڈاکٹر تنظیموں نے ابھی چند دن قبل پریس کانفرنس کی تھی۔ انھوں نے وفاقی حکومت کو کہا کہ فرنٹ لائن پر لڑنے والوں کی بات سنیں وہ کیا کہہ رہے ہیں۔ ‘اگر آپ ایک وبا کے بارے میں ماہرینِ معیشت، کاروباری طبقے اور تاجروں سے رائے لیں گے تو اس کا کیا علاج ہوگا؟‘ بلاول بھٹو نے وفاقی حکومت سے کہا کہ آپ کی پہلی ذمہ داری ہے کہ آپ اپنی اورخاندانوں کی زندگیوں کو خطرے سے نکالنے والوں کی بات سنیں، اور پھر ان کے مطالبات پورے کریں۔
بلاول بھٹو زرداری نے شکایت کی کہ پہلے دن سے میڈیا اور اپوزیشن کا نشانہ صوبہ سندھ ہے حالانکہ سب سے زیادہ صحتیابی کی شرح سندھ میں ہے۔ ‘لیکن کیا کسی نے پی ٹی آئی سے پوچھا کہ باقی صوبے جہاں آپ کی حکومت ہے وہاں شرحِ اموات کیوں زیادہ ہے؟’
انھوں نے وفاقی حکومت سے اپنا رویہ درست کرنے کا مطالبہ کرتے ہوئے کہا کہ وفاقی حکومت نے پاکستان کے غریب عوام کی صحت و زندگی کو نہ صرف خطرے میں ڈالا ہے بلکہ انھیں معاشی طور پر بھی نقصان پہنچایا۔
انھوں نے کہا کہ سندھ حکومت اور دیگر صوبوں نے وفاقی حکومت سے کرپشن کے لیے نہیں بلکہ اپنی صحت کی سہولیات میں اضافے کے لیے فنڈز کی درخواست کی تھی جو پوری نہیں کی گئی۔
وفاقی حکومت نے سندھ حکومت کی کوششوں کو سبوتاژ کیا، بلاول بھٹو - #BBZexposingIncompetence
چیئرمین پاکستان پیپلز پارٹی بلاول بھٹو زرداری نے ایک بار پھر ملک میں کورونا پھیلنے کی ذمہ داری وفاقی حکومت پر ڈالتے ہوئے کہا ہے کہ کورونا کے معاملے پر عوام کی جانیں بچانے کےبجائے اپنی معیشت بچانے کا ماڈل اپنایا گیا۔ وفاق نے کورونا کی روک تھام کے لیے سندھ حکومت کی کوششو ں کو سبوتاژ کیا۔
کراچی میں میڈیا سے گفتگو کرتے ہوئے بلاول بھٹو زرداری نے کہا کہ ہماری کورونا سے اموات کی شرح بھارت اور چین سے زیادہ ہے، کسی کو تو ذمہ داری اٹھانا ہوگی۔
انہوں نے کہا کہ ہمارے صوبائی وزیر مرتضیٰ بلوچ بھی کورونا وائرس سے جاں بحق ہوئے، ہماری کوشش تھی کہ کورونا جتنی تیزی سے پھیلا ہے اس طرح نہ پھیلے، وفاقی حکومت نے سندھ حکومت کی کوششوں کو سبو تاژ کیا اگر وفاق کو کام نہیں کرنا تھا تو ہماری کوششوں کو متاثر نہیں کرنا چاہیے تھا۔
بلاول بھٹو زرداری نے کہا کہ ہماری بات نہ مانیں مگر ان کی تو مانیں جو اس بیماری سے فرنٹ لائن پر لڑ رہے ہیں، وفاقی حکومت اعداد و شمار کے ساتھ کھیل کر عوام کو بے وقوف بنارہی ہے، وفاقی حکومت نے عوام، ڈاکٹرز اور پیرامیڈکس کو لاوارث چھوڑ دیا ہے۔
انہوں نے کہا کہ وزیراعظم مزدوروں کا نام لیتے ہیں، کسی ایک لیبر یونین کے وفد سے بھی ملے ہیں؟ وبا میں کس قانون کے تحت پاکستان اسٹیل ملز کے دس ہزار مزدوروں کو بیروزگار کیا جارہا ہے؟۔
بلاول بھٹو زرداری نے کہا کہ سندھ میں لوگوں کو ملازمت سے نکالنے پر پابندی ہے، پاکستان اسٹیل کے لوگوں کو کیوں نکالاجارہا ہے؟ پاکستان پیپلز پارٹی پاکستان اسٹیل ملز کے ملازمین کو نکالنے کی سخت الفاظ میں مذمت کرتی ہے۔
انہوں نے کہا کہ خان صاحب آپ کے جو وزیروں، مشیروں اور معاون خصوصی کی فوج ہے انہیں فارغ کر کے اخراجات کم کریں، اسٹیل ملزکے ملازمین کو کیوں فارغ کر رہے ہیں۔
بلاول بھٹو زرداری نے کہا کہ اسٹیل ملز کا کیا کرنا ہے، اس پر ہم بعد میں لڑ لیں گے، لیکن اس وباء میں تو لوگوں کو بے روزگار نہ کریں۔
پی پی چیئرمین نے کہا کہ ٹڈی دل سے بچاؤ کا اسپرے اب تک شروع نہیں کیا گیا ہے، ٹڈیوں سے ہماری معیشت اور فوڈ سیکیورٹی کو سنگین خطرات لاحق ہیں۔
بلاول بھٹو زرداری نے کہا کہ این ایف سی ایوارڈ کی تشکیل نو غیر قانونی ہے، این ایف سی پر اے پی سی بلائیں گے۔
انہوں نے کہا کہ جیسے خان صاحب نے کورونا پر پاکستانیوں پر لاوارث چھوڑا ہے ایسے ہی انہوں نے پی آئی اے طیارہ حادثے کے لواحقین کو بھی چھوڑ دیا ہے، اگر ہم نے کورونا کے معاملے پر یکجہتی سے فیصلے کئے ہوتے تو آج ہمارے اسپتالوں پر اتنا بوجھ نہ ہوتا، کورونا کے معاملے پر ہم نے اپنے عوام کی جانیں بچانے کا ماڈل نہیں اپنایا بلکہ اپنی معیشت بچانے کا ماڈل اپنایا۔
بلاول بھٹو زرداری نے کہا کہ صحافیوں کے معاشی مسائل پر سندھ حکومت کام کر رہی ہے، عزیز میمن کے قتل پر ہماری جماعت پر الزام لگانے کی کوشش کی گئی، جب تک جے آئی ٹی تمام ملزمان کو کیفر کردار تک پہنچاتی چین سے نہیں بیٹھیں گے اور صحافیوں کیخلاف دہشت گردی کی ایف آئی آرز پر نظرثانی ہونی چاہیے۔
پی پی چیئرمین نے کہا کہ لاک ڈاؤن کورونا کیخلاف ایک ہتھیار ہے، اکلوتا ہتھیار نہیں ہے۔
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari points out saboteur role of Federal government against Sindh government’s dedicated efforts versus #COVID-19 pandemic with the pledge to continue fighting virus #BBZexposingIncompetence
Chairman Pakistan People’s Party Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has pledged continuity of efforts by Sindh
government to protect people from COVID-19 despite facing saboteur role of Federal government, which unleashed surge in virus infection.
Addressing a Press conference at Sindh Assembly auditorium along with Chief Minister Sindh Murad Ali Shah and Ministers Dr Azra Pechuho, Nasir Shah, Saeed Ghani, and Murtaza Wahab, the PPP Chairman announced that his Party has planned all part conferences (APC) at the provincial level on the prevailing #COVID-19 situation across Pakistan, and the issue of the National Finance Commission (NFC).
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari noted that #COVID-19 outbreak and spread in the country was not accidental but it’s spread was allowed deliberately through inaction and creating confusion. However, he pledged that “we will do our utmost to save the people from this pandemic.”
He said that Prime Minister speaks lied that the coronavirus has spread at its own naturally and displayed in inability to stop it’s spread adding that it was now common opinion among the people that the coronavirus outbreak-spread has not just been a natural calamity but PTI and its leaders were involved in its spread in Pakistan.
PPP Chairman further stated that Sindh government’s efforts to stop the spread of coronavirus were forcibly sabotaged while Federal government didn’t prepare itself to fight against the viral spread and protect the population.
He said that pressure is mounting on hospitals in Karachi and there will be no space for more patients and asked who should be held responsible for this dire situation?
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that doctors and nurses are still ringing the alarm bells but to no avail. “Don’t listen to me, listen to the front-line soldiers, what will happen if we seek opinions from the traders about the pandemic?”, adding that it was ironical that Prime Minister Imran Khan didn’t to see doctors, nurses or medical professionals to seek their opinion on the virus.
He said that health workers have the right to get security risk allowances because their lives are at serious risk.
PPP Chairman pointed out that the people were being deceived by the representatives of the Federal government and there should also be an FIR against those who spread propaganda.
He condemned attacks on doctors adding that despite the non-cooperation of the Federal government, the Sindh government will try to reduce the damage caused by the pandemic and it will continue to increase the capacity of corona testing though the testing facility in Sindh is comparatively greater than other provinces.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that the Federal government was fooling the people by playing with statistics. The number of patients in HDU is increasing. Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa has the lowest testing rate and the highest mortality rate and asked how long the people will endure the incompetence of PTI government.
PPP Chairman asked the federal government to correct its attitude as it has left the people, doctors and nurses on mercy of the nature and has proved to be working for the rich in the name of the poor.
He said that the position of PPP on Pakistan Steel is clear. What is the justification for making ten thousand people unemployed during such raging pandemic?
He said that the PPP had been warning the government about locusts for posing grave threats to our agriculture crops endangering population with food insecurity. Federal government had promised aerial spraying on locusts in May-June which was not done so far, he added.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that PPP’s position on NFC was clear adding that Party’s Provincial Chapters were planning APCs in which the issue of Coronavirus and NFC will be discussed.
He said that Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan are under the administration of the Federation but federal government wants to absolve these parts of the country from the financial obligation list which shows that the allegation against government of selling Kashmir to be true. What message it wants to send to the world by giving Azad Jammu & Kashmir the status of a province,” he questioned.
He said that if Gilgit-Baltistan is to be given the status of a province, then amend the constitution. The message of the federal government about AJK is very dangerous.
PPP Chairman said that Federal government should cut the money of the hordes of Ministers, Advisors, Special Assistants, both imported and imposed but not make the poor unemployed. He said that PIA was also not being handled under a planned scheme. Tragedy of PIA’s crashed plane was very unfortunate but even on a plane crash, the Federal government will say it’s not their responsibility making attempts to malign the brave pilot.
He said we will do our utmost to save the people from the pandemic. “Vietnam and our resources can be compared. Vietnam took immediate measure to save its economy and people from Coronavirus,” he added. However, with people at the helm of affairs in the Federal government continuing we could neither be able to save the population from Coronavirus now nor we may save the economy from devastation, he stated.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that serious politics was needed during the coronavirus pandemic. An attempt was made to blame the PPP for the murder of journalist Aziz Memon. He said that journalists of Sindh are very brave and we always and welcomed and tolerated criticism.
Replying to a question, he said that the Sindh government has other options including lockdown. “Sindh government has taken steps from day one to protect its people but the Federal government has not helped us and misinformation has been given to the citizens,” he added.
PPP Chairman said that when the government kept changing its decisions, there was confusion in Pakistan and asked why the PM criticises Sindh questioning that does he not know the state of public health services in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and termed this criticism as unfair and based on political point-scoring.
Addressing a Press conference at Sindh Assembly auditorium along with Chief Minister Sindh Murad Ali Shah and Ministers Dr Azra Pechuho, Nasir Shah, Saeed Ghani, and Murtaza Wahab, the PPP Chairman announced that his Party has planned all part conferences (APC) at the provincial level on the prevailing #COVID-19 situation across Pakistan, and the issue of the National Finance Commission (NFC).
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari noted that #COVID-19 outbreak and spread in the country was not accidental but it’s spread was allowed deliberately through inaction and creating confusion. However, he pledged that “we will do our utmost to save the people from this pandemic.”
He said that Prime Minister speaks lied that the coronavirus has spread at its own naturally and displayed in inability to stop it’s spread adding that it was now common opinion among the people that the coronavirus outbreak-spread has not just been a natural calamity but PTI and its leaders were involved in its spread in Pakistan.
PPP Chairman further stated that Sindh government’s efforts to stop the spread of coronavirus were forcibly sabotaged while Federal government didn’t prepare itself to fight against the viral spread and protect the population.
He said that pressure is mounting on hospitals in Karachi and there will be no space for more patients and asked who should be held responsible for this dire situation?
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that doctors and nurses are still ringing the alarm bells but to no avail. “Don’t listen to me, listen to the front-line soldiers, what will happen if we seek opinions from the traders about the pandemic?”, adding that it was ironical that Prime Minister Imran Khan didn’t to see doctors, nurses or medical professionals to seek their opinion on the virus.
He said that health workers have the right to get security risk allowances because their lives are at serious risk.
PPP Chairman pointed out that the people were being deceived by the representatives of the Federal government and there should also be an FIR against those who spread propaganda.
He condemned attacks on doctors adding that despite the non-cooperation of the Federal government, the Sindh government will try to reduce the damage caused by the pandemic and it will continue to increase the capacity of corona testing though the testing facility in Sindh is comparatively greater than other provinces.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that the Federal government was fooling the people by playing with statistics. The number of patients in HDU is increasing. Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa has the lowest testing rate and the highest mortality rate and asked how long the people will endure the incompetence of PTI government.
PPP Chairman asked the federal government to correct its attitude as it has left the people, doctors and nurses on mercy of the nature and has proved to be working for the rich in the name of the poor.
He said that the position of PPP on Pakistan Steel is clear. What is the justification for making ten thousand people unemployed during such raging pandemic?
He said that the PPP had been warning the government about locusts for posing grave threats to our agriculture crops endangering population with food insecurity. Federal government had promised aerial spraying on locusts in May-June which was not done so far, he added.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that PPP’s position on NFC was clear adding that Party’s Provincial Chapters were planning APCs in which the issue of Coronavirus and NFC will be discussed.
He said that Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan are under the administration of the Federation but federal government wants to absolve these parts of the country from the financial obligation list which shows that the allegation against government of selling Kashmir to be true. What message it wants to send to the world by giving Azad Jammu & Kashmir the status of a province,” he questioned.
He said that if Gilgit-Baltistan is to be given the status of a province, then amend the constitution. The message of the federal government about AJK is very dangerous.
PPP Chairman said that Federal government should cut the money of the hordes of Ministers, Advisors, Special Assistants, both imported and imposed but not make the poor unemployed. He said that PIA was also not being handled under a planned scheme. Tragedy of PIA’s crashed plane was very unfortunate but even on a plane crash, the Federal government will say it’s not their responsibility making attempts to malign the brave pilot.
He said we will do our utmost to save the people from the pandemic. “Vietnam and our resources can be compared. Vietnam took immediate measure to save its economy and people from Coronavirus,” he added. However, with people at the helm of affairs in the Federal government continuing we could neither be able to save the population from Coronavirus now nor we may save the economy from devastation, he stated.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that serious politics was needed during the coronavirus pandemic. An attempt was made to blame the PPP for the murder of journalist Aziz Memon. He said that journalists of Sindh are very brave and we always and welcomed and tolerated criticism.
Replying to a question, he said that the Sindh government has other options including lockdown. “Sindh government has taken steps from day one to protect its people but the Federal government has not helped us and misinformation has been given to the citizens,” he added.
PPP Chairman said that when the government kept changing its decisions, there was confusion in Pakistan and asked why the PM criticises Sindh questioning that does he not know the state of public health services in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and termed this criticism as unfair and based on political point-scoring.
Friday, June 5, 2020
Balochistan Erupts in Protests Over a Murdered Mother and Her Injured 4-Year-Old
Having witnessed years of war and violence, Balochs hardly need a reminder that no one is safe in the province – not even inside one’s home.
A viral video shows a 4-year old girl crying and repeating the same word again and again, “Amma” [mother]. She is fresh out of surgery and is still in her hospital bed, barely having any idea her “amma” can now never return.
This is little Bramsh, who was seen happily dancing in another of her viral videos. In the time between the two videos, she had seen her mother be taken from her forever. Bramsh and her mother are victims of sheer brutality.
In Makran, the southwestern division of Balochistan, political appraisals and systematic violence have been the norm for decades, but it was rare to witness assaults on women and children. This changed in the night of May 26 in Dannuk, Turbat. Three armed men jumped into a house where a family was sleeping under the open sky to stay cool – a normal practice in a place like Turbat, where temperature can go as high as 50 degrees Centigrade (122 degrees Farenheit).
The armed men asked for cash and whatever they could possibly benefit themselves with. When the woman, Malik Naz, resisted, she was shot on the spot, along with her 4-year-old daughter. The other family members managed to catch one of the robbers and handed him over to the local police. Two other suspects have also been detained but the alleged head of the gang is still “nowhere to be found” almost a week after the incident.
Like the meaning of her name, Bramsh has sparked a fire into people to resist and rebel against abusers of power and years of injustices and silence. She has reminded the people of Balochistan that they are in peril no matter where and who they are: women, men or even infants.
Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, a large number of protesters gathered at Turbat city’s “Shaheed Fida Chowk” on June 1. On June 2, citizens of Washok and Bulaida rallied to question the provincial government’s safety measures and demanded the arrest of all the culprits.
A similar protest overtook the port city of Gwadar on May 30, where protesters rallied to Gwadar Press Club in support of the justice campaign for little Bramsh. Civil society members in the provincial capital, Quetta, have also announced they will gather at Quetta Press Club on June 4; a similar protest has been announced for Karachi in front of Karachi Press Club and citizens in Panjgur city also announced a demonstration at Shaheed Javeed Chowk on June 3 to protest the assault.
Protesters in all these cities warned that if all the culprits are not held accountable under the law, the protests will continue and spread to different cities of Balochistan.
For many the case of Bramsh is “very personal” as it is a “direct attack” on “Baloch honor.” In Baloch society, it is considered an attack on one’s “honor” when women are assaulted — that too in the premises of one’s own home.
However, many question this patriarchal, barbaric, and primitive idea of “honor” and reject any connection between this slogan and the case. They consider the recent attack the result of an absence of law enforcement, prolonged unauthorized support for such armed gangs in the region, and continuous silence by citizens against aggressive authorities that have been abusing their powers.
In the last few years, there has been a rise in crime rates in Makran region: robberies, murders, and an increase in abusive authorities. As a result citizens have lost trust in the law and law enforcement authorities but have still remained silent.
Bramsh’s tragedy, however, has now fired a shot for justice, law enforcement, and safety measures. An evolution is on display as demonstrators streaming into these protests take a stand against injustice and question the tension between residents of these cities and the higher authorities abusing their power to support armed gangs in the region.
People are no longer willing to accept a trade-off between justice for Bramsh and the law and order situation in the region. Both are interlinked parts of a whole, and now people are daring to demand it all.
#Pakistan - Covid-19: Murad says ‘mixed messages’ muddying the waters
The opposition Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has time and again accused the federal government in general and Prime Minister Imran Khan in particular of employing “confused strategy” and sending “mixed signals” in the fight against the pandemic that has so far affected over 83,000 nationals, leaving some 1,729 dead.
Addressing newsmen in Karachi, Murad said that he does not blame the public for violation of standard operating procedures (SOPs) as “mixed messages” have created confusion regarding the seriousness of the crisis.
The chief minister demanded that a “unified message” be given to people so that they can obey SOPs set by governments.
He said that he has never criticised the federal government in any of his press conferences, even if he disagreed with the steps taken by Centre. The pressers he held were to clarify the “mixed messages” being conveyed to people.
Murad said that “nothing was more important than the lives of people”.
“The poor people everyone is supposedly concerned about — and we should be concerned, it’s a good thing — but if a daily wage worker […] dies from the virus, how will his children eat for the rest of their lives,” he questioned.
Murad observed that the relaxations in quarantine that were introduced in April had inflicted huge damage on the economy. He was of that decisions should be made while taking the entire country into consideration, including Sindh.
“Sindh is not an island. It is a part of Pakistan,” the chief minister added.
https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2020/06/04/covid-19-murad-says-mixed-messages-muddying-the-waters/
After #Pakistan's lockdown gamble, #COVID-19 cases surge
Four weeks ago, with its most important festival coming up and millions of people facing starvation as economic activity dwindled, Pakistan lifted a two-month-long coronavirus lockdown.Prime Minister Imran Khan has said despite rising infections and deaths, the country would need to learn to “live with” the virus to avert pushing tens of millions living on daily wages into destitution. Now, a Reuters review of government data shows over 20,000 cases of the virus were identified in the three weeks before the lockdown was lifted, and more than double that figure were identified in the three weeks since.To be sure, testing rates have also increased. But of those tested, the daily average of positive results climbed from on average 11.5% in the three weeks before the lockdown was lifted, to 15.4% on average in the subsequent three weeks. The ratio is around 23% this week, according to the data. Pakistan has officially identified over 80,000 cases of COVID-19, with 1,770 confirmed deaths. “Those numbers are concerning, since they do suggest there may still be widespread transmission in certain parts of the country,” said Claire Standley, assistant research professor at the Department of International Health at Georgetown University.Experts say measures that could curb cases – like limits on religious gatherings and crowded shopping areas and emphasising social distancing – should be reinstated and some doctors are raising the alarm. According to a letter seen by Reuters, a committee of experts backed by the local health department in Pakistan’s most populous province, Punjab, told the provincial government the lockdown needed to continue. The letter said random testing suggested more than 670,000 people in the provincial capital Lahore had likely contracted the virus, many of them asymptomatic. The Punjab Health Minister Yasmeen Rashid said the letter had not been disregarded, but set aside in light of a Supreme Court decision that lockdowns should be lifted. Most hospitals in Lahore are now full and are sending cases to Mayo Hospital, a public facility with more than 400 beds dedicated to COVID-19 cases, said Salman Kazmi, general secretary of the Young Doctor’s Association, who is treating coronavirus patients there. Asad Aslam, the CEO of Mayo, however disputed claims that Lahore hospitals were saturated. “We can handle further burden of patients,” he said. “HERD IMMUNITY” Pakistan lifted its lockdown on May 9, about two weeks before the Eid al-Fitr festival that marks the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan and is celebrated with family gatherings and feasting. Transport and most businesses have re-opened but cinemas, theatres and schools remain closed. There has been growing debate among experts globally on whether populous developing nations can afford comprehensive social distancing measures to contain the coronavirus while avoiding economic ruin.Some officials have suggested “herd immunity” could contain the virus, a situation where enough people in a population have developed immunity to an infection to be able to effectively stop that disease from spreading. However, the World Health Organization has warned countries that have “lax measures” in place against counting on herd immunity to halt the spread of COVID-19.“The Pakistan government is setting itself up for a huge gamble but it’s also a test case for herd immunity because South Asia has no other choice,” a senior European Union official who oversees South Asia told Reuters. Yet even those advocating rolling back strict lockdowns in developing nations are alarmed at the teeming crowds in Pakistan’s streets, shopping malls and mosques, the ramping up of domestic flights, and the movement of millions of people for the Eid holiday. “It’s not about this dichotomy between complete lockdown and fully open,” Ahmed Mushfiq Mobarak, a professor of economics at Yale University, told Reuters. He said a smarter strategy would be to allow people out for core economic and public health activities, rather than a total relaxation of rules. “There should still be complete bans on religious gatherings and social gatherings...those are things for which we need to see much better leadership,” he said.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-pakistan-lockdown/after-pakistans-lockdown-gamble-covid-19-cases-surge-idUSKBN23C0NW
#Coronavirus: Rumours, fear and rising Covid deaths in Pakistan
#Pakistan - Sherry Rehman questions lifting the lock down and the role of Tiger Force
In her response to PM Khan’s address, PPP Parliamentary Leader in the Senate, Senator Sherry Rehman said, “According to the PM, Pakistan can not afford another lockdown but when did the Federal government enforce one in the first place? Had there been a proper lockdown, the outbreak would not have escalated out of control. Saying that the lockdown has hurt the poor and our economy, and then also firing 9000 plus steel mill workers is ironic”.
“The PTI government does not understand what the whole point of lockdown is. This was the best time to ramp up our healthcare facilities, increase testing and trace cases but this precious time was also spent criticizing Sindh government who is actually trying its best to control the pandemic,” she added.
Rehman questioned, “How can the PM say that Coronavirus was not spread from Mosques? We may be the only Muslim country which opened the mosques for Taraweeh prayers but anybody who went for Taraweeh anywhere in Pakistan can testify how no SOP was followed anywhere”.
Saying that we have we do have to ‘live with the virus’ does not have to mean killing 1000s daily. Instead of taking the lockdown seriously, restrictions on the tourism sector are being lifted. We have left China behind and our per capita death rate from COVID-19 is now on a different level altogether to the rest of South Asia. This is the time to lead by example but the PM himself is not wearing masks in meetings and nor are the government officials observing the SOPs. Hospitals are being attacked because the Federal government makes people think Corona is not a big deal. All this will only end up in a disaster and the only one who will be responsible for this, will be the Federal government and its mixed messaging,” she said.
Questioning the role of Tiger Force, the Senator said that, “Now the PM says that Corona Tiger Force volunteers will also help fight locusts. Have they helped control the virus that now they will fight against the locust invasion? Are they going to exercise state authority to enforce SOPs? Are they going to become vigilante gangs?
PPP Parliamentary Leader in the Senate, Senator Sherry Rehman concluded by saying that, “The Federal government cannot place the responsibility on people when it is continuously giving them mixed messages”.
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