Karachi: Chairman Pakistan People’s Party Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has said that the federal government should limit itself to Islamabad if its policy during the crisis of Coronovirus pandemic was to leave the provinces on their own.
Expressing views in an interview with the renowned anchors from the Sindhi media, PPP Chairman said that the armed forces of Pakistan have supported and endorsed the Sindh government in its efforts to contain the deadly coronavirus outbreak in the province, which was encouraging for the provincial government. “The PTI government does not have the courage to touch the 18th constitutional Amendment, while the PPP is ready to elaborate the matter to all stakeholders.”, he added.
Bilawal Bhutto said that the timely measures taken by the Sindh government prevented a situation like Italy, Iran, New York and Wuhan from arising in Pakistan, as other provinces followed the steps of the Sindh government and worked for mitigating the threat to an extent.
He said that Sindh government was trying to save the lives of the citizens, while the Sindh Governor, who represents the federation, has been opposing the lockdown in Sindh.
“The federal ministers said about the doctors on the front line that they are doing politics at the behest of the Sindh government. Due to the double standard of the federal government, the issue of coronavirus is spreading in the country and the number of victims is expected to increase significantly,” he added.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari lamented that PPEs had not been provided to doctors and paramedical staffs by the federation so far. “Some masks and test kits have been provided by the NDMA to the provinces. So far, the provinces are meeting 90 percent of the costs of the Coronavirus crisis with their own resources, but the provinces alone cannot cope with this global pandemic. Due to non-cooperation of the federation, the provinces are facing great difficulties in fighting this deadly pandemic.”
PPP Chairman said that our doctors, nurses and paramedical workers are the real heroes, who are working day and night to save the lives of the citizens by risking their own. Coronavirus is a huge crisis, in which the Sindh Chief Minister and his team, as well as other stakeholders and the media are playing their part diligently.
He also pointed out that the institutions that the federal government has put to use to provide relief to the poor, be it the BISP or the USCs, were all set up during the PPP government.
On the ongoing threat from attack on food by the floods of locusts, the PPP Chairman warned that if locusts were not eradicated, the food security situation in the country would worsen. He called on the federal government to take onward steps to rid of the floods of the locusts because the federal cabinet has a minister on food security, as well.
Federal govt’s Islamabad-centric approach to Coronavirus damaging for provinces: Bilawal
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