RAWALPINDI: Director General of the Inter-Services Public Relations (DG ISPR) Maj-Gen Babar Iftikhar has said a smart lockdown, coupled with “testing, tracing and quarantining” will drive the nation’s efforts against the coronavirus pandemic as he warned the “next 15 days are critical”.
“We will have a targeted lockdown only for virus hotspots and clusters,” Maj-Gen Iftikhar said at a media briefing following a special conference of principal staff officers chaired by Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa in Rawalpindi on Friday.
Maj-Gen Iftikhar said all resources of the Pakistan Army were being used to combat the pandemic. “All Army resources are being used at all levels to combat this pandemic. Resource allocation is also being altered according to conditions.”
He added that the Army will extend help in this regard. Thanking medics and all those people working to keep the economy going, he urged the nation protect themselves from the pandemic. “The next 15 days are crucial. Make your homes your places of worship.”
Maj-Gen Iftikhar also said the military leadership had taken serious note of Indian aggression along the Line of Control (LoC) and irresponsible statements of their Indian counterparts, according to Radio Pakistan.
The DG ISPR said the Indian side has recently intensified ceasefire violations. He said at a time when the world is uniting against the coronavirus, RSS-inspired extremists Modi government is violating international laws.
Maj-Gen Iftikhar said Indian forces are using heavy artillery and using people of occupied Kashmir as human shields. He said India always blamed Pakistan to divert world attention from its atrocities being committed on Kashmiris when the world is fighting against Covid-19.
He also announced that Pakistan Army will not take internal security allowance during coronavirus duty. The amount will be spent on the patients affected from coronavirus.
