Pakistan Army departments donate salaries in COVID-19 relief fund

General Nadeem Raza also contributes his one-month salary, says ISPR

A day after Prime Minister Imran Khan established a coronavirus relief fund, Pakistan Army's various departments announced to donate their salaries "to support national efforts in fight against COVID-19," a statement issued by the military's media wing said on Tuesday.

The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that scientists, engineers and employees of National Command Authority (NCA) and Strategic Plans Division (SPD) have contributed their salaries according to their pay scale which are as follows:

• Employees of Special Pay Scale 11-14 - 3 days


• Employees of Special Pay Scale 8-10 - 2 days


• Employees of Special Pay Scale 1-7 - 1 day

Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Nadeem Raza also contributed his one month's pay, the ISPR added.

PM Imran while announcing his government's road map on Monday emphasised the need of donations and charity saying the country is facing challenge of coronavirus along with poverty.

Earlier this month, DG ISPR Major-General Babar Iftikhar told the media that army officers including army chief and soldiers had also donated their salaries in the COVID-19 fund.

The nationwide tally of COVID-19 patients has crossed 1,900 with 676 cases in Sindh, 676 in Punjab, 153 in Balochistan, 221 in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, 166 in Gilgit-Baltistan, 58 in Islamabad and six in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

The virus has so far claimed 26 lives in Pakistan, while 55 COVID-19 patients have fully recovered.