PTI welcomes CJP’s order to reopen shopping malls

Appreciating the chief justice of Pakistan for taking suo motu notice and allowing the markets and shopping malls to reopen, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leaders said on Monday the main purpose of the party’s supporting the traders’ campaign was to ease sufferings of the common people.

PTI Karachi president and MPA Khurram Sher Zamanm, Leader of Opposition in the Sindh Assembly Firdous Shamim Naqvi and Parliamentary Leader in the Sindh Assembly Haleem Adil Sheikh were addressing a press conference at the Insaf House.

Zaman said that his party was fighting with the Sindh government for the rights of the people. “Our aim is to bring relief to the people. We are very grateful to the chief justice of Pakistan for suo motu of the markets and malls’ reopening issue.”

He said the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab governments had announced the reopening of the malls two days ago. Zaman suggested that the markets should be kept open for 24 hours till the last night of Ramazan. “My question is that every day does this coronavirus go out at 5 pm? Is the coronavirus only for traders?”

The MPA also said that the reason for closing the petrol pumps was beyond understanding. “Public transport should be allowed to operate under SOPs. The PPP chairman, the chief minister, and advisers, who are in fact serving on the son quota, all are all useless,” he said.

Zaman said the Sindh government immediately issued a notification for limiting congregations in the mosques, and now the chief secretary should issue a notification addressing this issue. “I am also requesting the CJP to take notice of the issue of limiting the prayers at mosques because the Sindh government only understands the language of law.”

Citing a video of unhygienic conditions at an isolation ward at a government hospital, shared by a journalist who was infected by the coronavirus, Zaman said that hospital managements did not give even a tablet of Panadol to patients.

“Unfortunately, the journalist has returned home from the hospital again because of the attitude of the hospital management. It is the condition of all the government hospitals in the province.”

Naqvi said that the PPP repeatedly said that the prime minister was incompetent on decisions on the coronavirus measures, but today the chief justice’s decision showed what the PPP had been saying was wrong.

“The way of thinking of the PPP and the PTI is completely different. We cannot be on the same page,” he said. He said that the PTI was talking about the protection of the poor people in Sindh. “We will not leave them at the mercy of the Sindh government’s incompetence.”

Commenting on the Sindh government’s decision to open public transport after Eid-ur-Fitr, the opposition leader asked why it could not be allowed to run before the Eid. He asked the transport minister to tell him about the 20,000 buses that he repeatedly claimed would arrive on the roads of the city.

Naqvi also clarified that the meeting of the National Assembly was not convened by the prime minister. “The one who convened the meeting did not come to the meeting.” he said. Sheikh said that his party welcomed the decision of the chief justice.

He said the Sindh Assembly was not being convened yet. “Will the coronavirus come from the air-conditioners’ pipes,” he asked. Sheikh said that the Sindh government itself was on ventilator at the moment.

Member of National Assembly Aftab Siddiqui, Karachi spokesperson Jamal Siddiqui, Sindh Assembly members Shehzad Qureshi and Sidrah Imran, PTI leader Imran Siddiqui were also present on the occasion.