AJK elections acted as super spreader event for Covid: Umar

NCOC chief claims worst violations of Covid SOPs in last one year have come from politicians

ISLAMABAD:

National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC)'s chief Asad Umar denounced on Sunday the elections held in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) two weeks ago, which allegedly proliferated Covid cases in the region.

Umar stated that had recommended postponing elections in AJK  for a few months in efforts to quell the spread of the virus.

In a tweet, the NCOC chief said he had hoped for “a special vaccination campaign” to be run before the elections.

Had recommended that AJK elections get postponed for a couple of months and a special vaccination campaign run before the elections. It was not agreed. Since the elections the positivity of AJK is running between 25 and 30%. Elections have acted as a super spreader event.

— Asad Umar (@Asad_Umar) August 12, 2021

 

However, the request was denied and currently AJK’s positivity rate is between 25% to 30%, he added.

“Elections have acted as a super spreader event”, t he fedreal minister maintained.

He also criticised Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Pakistan Democratic Movement for holding rallies in Karachi.

Read PDM rejects electoral reforms, AJK results

According to Umar’s tweet, Bilawal had previously ‘threatened’ to hold Prime Minister Imran and other ministers accountable if Covid spread further in the city.

However, "Bilawal is now holding a jalsa this month” in Sindh’s capital, where a lockdown was recently imposed because of increasing Covid cases.

Two weeks back bilawal zardari was threatening to hold PM and ministers accountable if covid spreads further in karachi and now PDM announces holding a jalsa this month in karachi!! Sadly the worst violations of covid sop's in the last one year have come from politicians.

— Asad Umar (@Asad_Umar) August 12, 2021

 

“The worst violations of Covid SOPs in the last one year have come from politicians”, he lamented.

As of Thursday, Pakistan’s positivity rate remained at 8.3%. At least 102 people died due to Covid in a day, and 4,934 people tested positive for it.