'Take precautionary measures'

We can’t afford to lose our children from the virus nor our elders, says Sardar Akhtar Mengal

QUETTA: Former Chief Minister and head of Balochistan National Party (M) Mengal, Sardar Akhtar Mengal on Thursday said the coronavirus is an enemy that we cannot see but it takes away human life, and the only way to deal with such an enemy is by taking precautionary measures as emphasized by the experts.

“Prevention is the only cure and I appeal to Pakistan particularly to the people of Balochistan that they will not be able to bear the loss of their loved ones. So I strongly urge them to stay home to protect themselves and their families,” he said in a video message.

Mengal added that COVID-19 has now cracked its toes in more than 190 countries in the world and one of these countries is Pakistan. “No cure for the virus has been discovered so far and we don’t know when a cure will be discovered. The situation in Pakistan is worsening with every passing day. Due to the coronavirus, hundreds of thousands of people across the world have become infected and thousands of people have lost their lives.”

The BNP chief went on to say that people need to stay in their home for two weeks in order to avoid spread of the virus. “We need to seriously act responsibly in such a situation. We have to stay in homes as much as possible. Improve hygiene, wash hands repeatedly, use a mask and if there is no mask then use cloth as replacement.”

He also said, “According to experts, the only way to protect ourselves and our lives from this virus is to follow all the precautionary measures. We can’t afford to lose our children from the virus nor our elders. Allah is our protector. Islam, tribalism and national laws are all encouraging us to take precautionary measures to avoid the outbreak of coronavirus.” 

Published in The Express Tribune, March 27^th, 2020.