PM throws down gauntlet to opposition on Covid fight

Imran says data shows govt took right steps in its response to the health crisis

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan threw down the gauntlet to the opposition on Thursday, asking them to point out a single contradictory statement in his speeches on Covid-19 crisis, and stressed there wasn’t any confusion in the government response to the coronavirus pandemic.

The prime minister, who made a rare appearance in the concluding session of the general debate on the budget 2020-21 in the National Assembly, defended his government’s coronavirus response after it came under criticism from opposition for being “confused”.

While giving a policy statement on coronavirus, economy, locusts and agriculture and foreign policy, the prime minister mentioned that the opposition had been repeatedly saying that there was confusion” in the government regarding the lockdown.

“If there was any government which is not confused, it’s ours,” the prime minister declared. “I ask the opposition members; we imposed lockdown on March 13; from March 13 onwards; bring me a single statement that was contradictory. I challenge you.”

In addition, the prime minister said that he had constantly spoken about saving people from coronavirus and hunger, simultaneously. “My statements have remained consistent. You can check; it’s very easy now; all my speeches are on social media. There never was any confusion,” Imran said.

Pakistan took action when there were only 26 cases in the country and no casualty had taken place, the prime minister continued, the provinces had started reacting by themselves at that time as lockdown had become a worldwide phenomenon and the country did not have a “centralised planning” by then.

The prime minister said he and his team had the fear from day one that the lockdown model imposed in the Western countries and China could not be implemented in Pakistan because the situation was very different in the Subcontinent.

People gave example of New Zealand when they talked about social distancing but forgot that New Zealand had a low population density and natural social distancing already existed in that country, Imran said, adding that Pakistan had a high population density and the problems faced by Pakistanis were altogether different. “We had to simultaneously save people from coronavirus and hunger,” he added.

Initially, he said, the government endured a lot of criticism because the people were asking for a stricter lockdown. “There was a lot of pressure on me; from my own people; from my own cabinet to impose a lockdown similar to what India did later on,” he revealed.

He gave examples of India and the US where lockdown could not work and they ultimately had to reopen economy. He said that in light of the new data “it has emerged that the government took the right steps” in its response to the health crisis.

He lauded the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), saying it collected all the information on a daily basis and because of the NCOC, there were no contradictory decisions as the country moved ahead, consistently.

He maintained that the next phase would be difficult if people did not follow the standard operating procedures (SOPs) put in place to stem the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic. He warned that violation of the SOPs would increase pressure on the country’s hospitals.

While assuring that enough facilities were available to cope with the existing and the upcoming situation if people exercise caution, he also extended condolences to the families of roughly 4,000 people who have died from Covid-19.

In a direct riposte to the opposition’s criticism that the government was hiding behind coronavirus, Imran quoted the latest figures from the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) report, which stated that the world’s economy had suffered a $12.3 trillion setback due to the crisis. Sharing statistics, he also said that the PTI-led government had inherited a “sick economy”.

On the locust attack, Imran told the House that the agriculture sector was among the top three priorities of the government. He said the government declared a national emergency on January 31 to protect crops and help farmers from the worst locust infestation in more than two decades.

To control locust, he said, the government had given the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) a free hand to utilise all resources. “Unfortunately, coronavirus came in the meanwhile and the supplies from England could not reach [Pakistan],” he said.

“We will do our best but I should tell you that several things are not in our hands,” he added. “No one has any idea about the swarms that will come from Africa, India and Iran,” he continued. “The whole nation will fight against locusts.”

On Foreign policy, Imran said: “The biggest achievement of this government was on foreign policy front.” Speaking about the country’s relations with the United States, he explained the transition from the stage where Pakistan faced humiliation despite supporting Washington in the ‘war on terror’ to the point where it was being given respect again.

“No one is humiliating us there anymore. [US President] Donald Trump has always given respect whenever we have met. In fact, he requested [for] our help in bringing peace to Afghanistan,” he said, adding that Pakistan’s role in the Afghan peace talks was being widely acknowledged today.

On India and Kashmir, he said that the BJP government’s Hindu supremacist agenda became clear when India annexed occupied Kashmir and did not take steps to improve relations between the two countries. He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi was a “fanatic” who was a curse for not only Indian Muslims but for the Hindus also.

Prime Minister Imran stressed that the Kashmir issue had now reached the “point of no return” and subjugating roughly eight million Kashmiris by force would not be sustainable.

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