Parliamentarians and civil society reps urge the government to adopt available mechanisms

Islamabad – Parliamentarians and civil society representatives while participating in a virtual conference urged the government to urgently develop an integrated mechanism engaging different stakeholders and active civil society organizations to reach out to variety of daily workers and freelancers. Daily bread-earners are not only poor and marginalized communities and laborers, but they include teachers and other semi-skilled and skilled persons too. They are suffering from the crisis but being neglected due to inefficient approach adopted by the federal and provincial governments. Easing lockdown at the moment when the infection is spiking up, the miseries would multiply.

Development Communications Network (Devcom-Pakistan) organized the virtual conference on Saturday on the topic ‘Covid-19: Reaching out to daily wagers and freelancers – Challenges and Strategies’. The distinguished panel included Senator Lt General (Retd) Abdul Qayyum, Senator Musadik Malik, Senator Sitara Ayaz and Zafarullah Khan, social scientist and former director general of the Pakistan Institute of Parliamentary Services (PIPS). Others who participated in the virtual conference included Dr Amena Hassan, TS Bhutta, Tahir Hanfi, Yousaf Ali, Shaaref Munir and Riffat Ara Baig. Host of the virtual conference and Devcom-Pakistan Director Munir Ahmed introduced the topic.

Senator Musadik Malik said: first two weeks of lockdown were very effective but afterwards government could not maintain it. It has proven to be fetal as we have seen spike in the curve of infected population. Total confusion and chaos was observed in handling the crisis, and the government despite having all the resources could not manage it as required. First two weeks of lockdown showed that government could have done it for four to six weeks to flatten the curve of coronavirus infections. Secondly, due to inefficient approach and having no adequate system, federal government could only reach out to fraction of poor communities while the daily wagers and freelancers remained untouched. While having its own funds, and grants from different international sources and philanthropists, federal government could have reached to all estimated 50-60 million people if the right mechanisms were adopted.

He said they would have taken three steps if they would have been in the government with the resources available to the present government; first of all strict and uncompromising lockdown from 6-8 weeks would have been the priority; secondly, random and cluster testing at all the UCs. The infected were quantified in adequate environment, and financial support would be extended to their families then and there. Secondly, reaching out to 50-60 million vulnerable poor communities, daily wagers and freelancers at their doorsteps with the support of district management, charity workers, members of the Union Councils (UCs) and local schools and teachers; and waving off the utility bills of poor upto middle class. Saving people had been our priority than worrying about the economy.

Senator Lt General (Retd) Abdul Qayyum was the view that neither federal government could impose strict lockdown nor successfully implemented its own SOPs except locking its horns with the provinces. Sindh has been on its own policy that was partially failure because of the federal government’s confusing statements. Now Punjab province has its way of handling the crisis and asking the federal government that seven largest cities of the province should be exempted from the easing policy. Lahore has already become the epicenter of the infection. Doctors are still crying for the personal protection equipment including masks. Situation is quite miserable and it would intensify in the days to come. The daily wagers and freelancers would become more vulnerable. The government has all the data and it should take relevant stakeholders on board to develop a rationale policy and inclusive implementation plan.

He mentioned instead of focusing on the crisis, the federal government is opening up old Pandora’s boxes for political scoring and vengeful agenda. We don’t see any harmonized policy across the country. Crisis would go out of our hands if the situation of chaos and confusion prevails.

Senator Sitra Ayaz said Awami National Party (ANP) said we don’t see any government plans to reaching out to daily wagers and professional freelancers except to open the markets to push them to the hell of crisis. Despite having resources and databases, the government is playing inefficient in reaching out even to poor. Some eyewash would not serve the objective. Undermining all the available systems, the federal government wanted to establish a Tiger Force that is not seen till today. The available religious, social and democratic systems were neglected in all the strategies to combat the Covid-19 menace. Union Councils and school systems were abandoned just to make the Centre take credit of the relief services but federal government was failed miserably. Still they should have the chance to reach out to the vulnerable citizens through the available mechanisms.

QUETTA, May 09 (dna ):About 58 new coronavirus patients were reported in Balochistan, taking the number of total confirmed patients to

1935 in the province on Saturday.

According to Media Coordinator Provincial Health Directorate Coronavirus Cell Dr. Muhammad Wasim Baig, at least 35493 people were screened for the virus till May 9, out of which 58 more were reported positive.

As many as 242 affected patients had recovered from the coronavirus so far while 24 deaths were recorded due to the deadly virus, he added.

ISLAMABAD, May 09 (DNA ):The COVID-19 caseload in Pakistan had reached 27,474 with 618 new cases reported during last 24 hours, an official of National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on coronavirus said on Saturday.

Sharing the data, he said that total 618 deaths had been reported from the disease with 24 reported during last 24 hours.

He said that 7,756 patients had been recovered. He added total 270,025 tests had been conducted while in last 24 hours 12,982 tests were conducted.

He said 9,691 cases were reported from Sindh, 10,471 from Punjab, 4,327 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 609 from Islamabad, 421 from Gilgit Baltistan, 1,876 from Balochistan and 79 from Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).

He said that in total confirmed cases, 7,576 active cases were reported from Sindh, 6,149 from Punjab, 3,073 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 533 from Islamabad, 120 from Gilgit Baltistan, 1,630 from Balochistan and 19 from Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).

He said that 175 deaths had been reported from Sindh, 191 from Punjab, 221 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, four from Islamabad, three from Gilgit Baltistan, 24 from Balochistan and no any death was reported from AJK.

He said that 1,940 patients had recovered in Sindh, 4,131 in Punjab, 1,033 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 72 in Islamabad, 298 Gilgit Baltistan, 222 in Balochistan and 60 in AJK.

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Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Zafar Mahmood Abbasi condemned targeted IED attack on vehicle of FC South in Balochistan in which an officer and 5 soldiers embraced shahadat. The Naval Chief prayed for elevated ranks of the martyrs and expressed his deep condolences with their bereaved families.

Islamabad, May 9, 2020 – U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad visited Islamabad on May 8.  He met with Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa.  Ambassador Khalilzad discussed ongoing efforts by the United States to advance the Afghan peace process and sought Pakistan’s support in pressing for a reduction in violence, the immediate start of intra-Afghan negotiations, and assistance in helping obtain the freedom of American Mark Frerichs.  Pakistan’s military leaders reaffirmed their support for U.S. efforts.