PM Imran, ministers lambast opposition for 'reckless politics'

Prime Minister Imran Khan and several key federal ministers criticised on Saturday the newly-formed alliance of the opposition parties against the government – Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) – for allegedly playing with the lives of common people by defying a government ban on its public gathering in Peshawar amid the second wave of the coronavirus.

The prime minister accused the opposition parties of playing "reckless politics" with people’s safety, saying earlier the opposition had favoured a stricter lockdown but they were now defying court orders and holding a rally when Covid-19 cases were on the rise.

“The same PDM mbrs [members] who had wanted a strict lockdown and criticised me earlier now playing reckless politics with people's safety,” the premier tweeted, “they are even defying court orders & holding a jalsa when cases are rising dramatically.”

PM Imran's tweet came in response to a tweet of the Federal Minister for Planning, Development, Reforms and Special Initiatives, Asad Umar, who stated that Covid-19 positivity ratio was 13.39 per cent on Friday in Peshawar; total 202 patients were in critical condition and out of those 50 were on low flow oxygen, 134 on high flow and 18 on ventilators.

The planning minister, who also heads the National Control and Command Center (NCOC) – the nerve center to synergise and articulate unified national effort against Covid-19 and implement the decisions of the National Coordination Committee –, stated that 14 new critical patients came on Friday. “PDM response: we will be safe on the stage so who cares what happens to citizens,” Umar stated.

Soon after the premier and planning minister’s tweet, several other ministers condemned PDM for declaring that rallies across the country will be held as PDM planned until the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government is removed.

“The attitude of the opposition is dangerous. Playing with the lives of the people is not a joke,” Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry tweeted.

Though condolences poured in from every part of the country, including prime minister, president and several ministers, on the demise of Tehreek-e-Labbaik chief Allama Khadim Rizvi, the science minister did not hesitate to slam the religious political party for becoming a cause in spreading coronavirus.

“Tehreek-e-Labbaik also left no stone unturned in making a time bomb of the whole of Lahore and now PPP and PML-N will wreak havoc from Multan to Peshawar,” Chaudhry stated.

In his message to the nation, Federal Minister for Railways Sheikh Rashid tried to highlight double standards of the opposition parties by saying that “respect the vote but let the voter die from the corona is our [oppositions’] double standard”.

Rashid maintained that “they [opposition parties] do not care if the foundations of the country are shaken by corona because their children and blood relatives are out of the country and the child of the poor is needed for sacrifice.”

Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Shibli Faraz threatened the opposition parties with legal action, saying that FIR will be registered against the opposition leaders and organisers of the rallies for playing with the lives of people.

In his tweet, the government’s spokesperson stated, “playing with the health and lives of the people for personal gain is the biggest selfishness. In case of increase in cases in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, an FIR will be registered against the opposition leaders and organisers of the rallies.”