Covid-19 outbreak: MPC accuses govt of adopting reactive approach

PESHAWAR: A multi-party conference (MPC) on Friday accused the government of adopting a reactive approach while dealing with the coronavirus pandemic and demanded the joint session of the parliament to thrash out a strategy to fight the Covid-19 outbreak.

The Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) had organised the MPC through a video link and its provincial head Sikandar Hayat Khan presided over the moot. Senator Maulana Ataur Rahman of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl, Senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan of Jamaat-e-Islami, Amir Muqam of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, Humayun Khan and Faisal Karim Kundi of Pakistan People’s Party, Arbab Tahir of Awami National Party, Dr Said Alam Mahsud of Ulasi Tehreek, Mukhtiar Bacha of National Party Pakhtunkhwa Wahdat, Shakil Wahidullah of Mazdoor Kisan Party and Akhunzada Haider Zaman of Awami Workers Party addressed the moot through the video link.

QWP provincial General Secretary Hashim Babar, Senior Vice-Chairman Tariq Ahmad Khan, provincial Vice-Chairman Adnan Wazir were also present on the occasion. Welcoming the participants, Sikandar Sherpao said that the government should have built consensus to address this issue, however, there was no coordination among the centre and the provincial governments.

He said the government was playing politics over this issue by creating the ‘tiger force’. He demanded transparency in the distribution of the relief items by forming oversight committees at the district level. The QWP leader demanded the government to waive the utility bills and increase the amount from Rs3,000 to Rs15,000. Amir Muqam said the prime minister was not willing to take input from the opposition.

He said the doctors and the paramedics, who were real heroes, were not being provided the personal protective equipment (PPEs) and thus were exposed to the coronavirus. The PML-N leader said the government should enhance the testing capacity to detect those suffering from coronavirus besides providing urgent relief to the daily wagers and labourers particularly those belonging to the far-flung areas.

Arbab Tahir said the federal and provincial governments were not on the same page. He said the opposition parties were also not taken into confidence. He demanded the interest rate should be brought down to the single digit in addition to lowering the prices of the petroleum products in line with the falling international rates. The ANP leader demanded the federal government to provide the net hydel profit arrears to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to meet the shortage of funds while containing the spread of the Covid-19.

Mukhtiar Bacha appreciated the role of the police in ensuring the lockdown and called for increasing the health budget. Said Alam Mahsud sought transparency in the distribution of the relief goods and the provision of the PPEs to the doctors and paramedics. He also sought the release of the prisons involved in petty crimes to address the issue of overcrowding at jails in a bid to slow the spread of the Covid-19.

Mushtaq Ahmad said that the government wasted two months and did not take timely steps to secure the airports and borders. He said the government had enough time to arrange the PPEs and testing kits and establish the quarantine centres as per the SOPs. Demanding the government to tender an apology to the doctors, he condemned the baton-charge and arrest of doctors in Quetta. The JI leader said the government should conduct maximum tests to ensure the actual number of the patients. He said the provision of Rs3,000 per month to the affected families was not enough and the amount should be raised to Rs15,000 per month. He asked the government to fix the POL prices at 60 per litre to provide relief to the people. He asked the government to bring the interest rate to zero. Mushaq Ahmad also asked the government to take steps to ensure the release of Dr Aafia Sidique from the US prison. Maulana Ataur Rahman said the government should convene the joint sitting of the parliament by taking all the precautionary measures to devise a strategy to address this challenge facing the country. He said that linking the spread of the coronavirus cases to the members of the Tablighi Jamaat was condemnable and said that the government was using the opportunity to divide the national by indulging in such acts.

The JUI-F leader said that the role of the parliament should not be ignored and a way out should be found to hold a joint session of the parliament as he believed the rulers did not have the vision and the ability to cope with the prevailing situation.

He also demanded the release of the prisons involved in petty crimes and the missing persons on humanitarian basis. Humayun Khan said that the government should take steps to prevent the Afghan refugees from getting infected by launching an awareness campaign. He also demanded the government to conduct the screening of the patients and ensuring transparency in the distribution of the relief goods. Shakil Wahidullah, Akhunzada Haider Zaman, Faisal Karim Kundi also spoke on the occasion. At the end of the moot a joint declaration was also issued that incorporated input from all the parties. The participants also thanked the QWP for taking the initiative and holding the moot.