Survival of the steady

If a survey is conducted to find which cities are responsive to corona precautions, Islamabad will be in the upper tier, I believe. Substance for this belief lies in the observation that the way Islamabadites have been adapting themselves with the post-pandemic scenario is unseen anywhere else in Pakistan.

More than a result of government drive to create awareness, it seemingly derives from demography of the city. People are educated by and far and the city has the maximal of whatever facilities the government has made available to defeat this disease.

In addition, it has the best team of city administrators, which is active like no one else. Keeping the situation under consideration, Islamabad Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Hamza Shafqaat has imposed Section 144 in the city. He has also taken it upon himself to keep the residents informed of latest developments so as to avoid chaos. “Everybody should stay at home and not go out unnecessarily till April 15. This is the best way to deal with the situation,” Mr Shafqaat advised the citizens. He said nine corona patients are in critical condition at PIMS.

“I think about a hundred patients would be present in the city. The situation is getting serious,” he said.

“If we succeed in maintaining social distancing, we will be through this time. If the number of patients exceeds 100 at hospitals, I think our system will crash and other patients will suffer,” he said. He said the district administration has ensured food supplies. “We know from where and in what time we can get fruits, vegetables and other things. Yes, people are panic-buying of flour, fearing a lockdown,” he said.

He said, “The lockdown has not begun in the city.” Those who are panic-buying or leaving the federal capital should plan accordingly now.

He said it is for the government to make this decision.

“But we are doing our best to do anything short of lockdown. Shops of tailors and jewelers may be shut down as people can live without these. But we make sure that food stores and pharmacies remain open,” he said.

He said the city administration has launched a mega public awareness campaign, engaging social and mainstream media. He said thousands of masks and hand sanitizers have been distributed among public.

Profiteers and hoarders have been arrested from every corner of the city, he added. “We monitor food supplies on a daily basis. If an item is sold excessively, we make sure that it is supplied sufficiently in the market. But if the production is problematic, it is the job of Ministry of Food to see how can it be imported or produced locally,” he said. He is right. The city administration cannot do each and everything. The administration officials and officers bog down to create health awareness, panic control, food supplies and what not all through the day; rather, long into the night.

There has to be a proper mechanism to deal with markets as it is the job of business professionals.

Despite all this, rumors and abrupt actions by some unprofessional decision-makers have been creating chaos that can result into a mega blunder.

When we appreciate the city administration for their good work, we also need to point out the spoilers, Prof Tahir Malik, of NUML, added.

“Despite the government and city administration’s all efforts to avoid panic, the higher education authorities are bent over backwards to create panic. They made an abrupt announcement to get the hostels vacated. They, surely, do not know that the city houses top universities of the country catering to tens of thousands of students. Due to this announcement, panic was created and students were stranded at bus stops for days.”

He said, “The higher education bosses take decisions in isolation and with the comfort of armchair. They do not have the remotest link with ground realities, whatsoever. It would have been better if the students had been given 48 or 72 hours to leave for their convenience.”

“Similarly, now the higher education babus have been asking for online lectures. They do not know that 20 percent of students of public sector universities belong to former tribal areas, Gilgit-Baltistan and Balochistan where internet facilities does not work properly. Moreover, internet is a luxury in Pakistan that many poor students cannot afford. One could only wish somebody who knows at least basics of our universities should be put in the decision-making position for the higher education sector.”