Prime Minister Imran Khan Monday said the months of June and July will be difficult for Pakistan with regards to the coronavirus outbreak in the country.
Addressing the launching ceremony of Ehsaas initiatives including Ehsaas Rashaan portal, Ehsaas Langar, Panagah apps and PM Corona Relief Fund website, the prime minister said if the provinces had asked him for lockdown options, he would have never endorsed for such steps because Pakistan had a very different situation when compared with Wuhan city of China. “So it had to happen in our country [too],” he said. “And if provinces would have asked me I would never have allowed such a lockdown. Because when you are about to impose a lockdown, you should think about the effects your decisions will have on the masses,” he added.
The prime minister said that provinces should not have ordered a lockdown until they thought about the effects of that decision on the daily wagers and the poor. “However, everyone panicked all at once. They were looking at Europe and Wuhan City in China, that were going through different circumstances. Our situation was totally different,” he added.
He said due to lockdown, the whole world witnessed an unprecedented situation and even in the United States people waited in long queues to get food whereas in Italy people had been facing hardships in getting food.
The prime minister, while stressing upon the smart lockdown, said that the government is faced with the challenge of saving the lives of most vulnerable, old and those suffering from chronic diseases. Sharing his experience during his recent visit to Sindh, the prime minister said in Larkana alone, about 20 per cent among the affected were vendors who were also shut down. The decisions were taken in panic due to pandemic, he said, and cited situation where Modi’s government enforced complete lockdown with the statistics now showing that another 34 per cent chunk of its population was pushed under the poverty line and facing adverse economic situation. He further said that due to lockdown, the service sector in the country suffered badly including hotels and marriage halls.
The prime minister reiterated his resolve to transform the country on the model of Madina state in which, for the first time, focus was made on uplifting the conditions of the neglected and downtrodden segments. He reiterated that it is shameful to watch the labourers and other workforce who would come to cities for earning their livelihood and had to spend nights in the open or on roads as they could not afford accommodation. “The idea for setting up Panagah was to facilitate these people. I have also asked ministers to visit these areas and inquire about conditions of people staying there,” he added.
The prime minister also eulogized the sincere passion of the nation for making donations for every good cause and cited the construction of Shaukat Khanum Memorial Hospital (SKMH). He said for the last 30 years, he had been raising funds for the noble cause and had unique experience about the donations made by the common people. The country ranked among the top most countries where the people had been making huge donations, he added.
About the PM COVID Relief Fund, he said the small donations dominated the total sum collected so far. These people, the prime minister said, have great passion for noble cause due to their firm belief in Allah Almighty and the Day of Judgment.
The prime minister said the government was determined to ensure transparency in every rupee donated for the support of Covid 19-hit segments of society. He said the government is providing confidence to the donors about the transparency of their donations with launch of related apps and websites. Upon the newly launched website, he said they would publish lists of all beneficiaries. The Ehsaas programme is also firmly rooted in transparency, he maintained.
The prime minister also commended efforts of Dr Sania Nishtar and her team for the success of Ehsaas cash programme under which cash was transferred in complete transparent and efficient way. The cash programme provided much needed relief to the deserving people in these hard times, he added.
He also expressed his satisfaction that Ehsaas web portal also proved successful in financially supporting those who lost jobs during the pandemic. About the launch of PM Corona Relief Fund website, he said it contained complete information and would facilitate the donors to reach the deserving people directly.
