‘Covid-19 response marred by indecision’

LAHORE:With the number of Covid-19 cases rising, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has expressed concern at the way the federal government is handling this public health crisis.

There is an absence of clarity in the federal government’s measures – a clarity without which it cannot hope to curb the pandemic and create space for the country’s already fragile healthcare system. The government has shown confusion among the population by relaying mixed messages about the lockdown and inciting its supporters in Sindh to undermine the actions taken by the provincial government.

Instead of learning from the experience of more developed countries that have suffered hugely at the hands of this pandemic, the federal government remains unclear and indecisive. The decision to allow congregations under pressure from certain clerics during Ramazan contravenes what is happening in other Muslim countries. When a large part of the population across Pakistan is at risk, it is deeply disappointing to see the federal government indulge in scoring political points against a provincial government.