Preexisting conditions

As the country struggles to contain the Covid-19 pandemic, the menace of corruption has thrived amidst the crisis. These tough times have emerged as a blessing in disguise for many corrupt officials, particularly those who have been rehired out of retirement and placed in authority positions in various public-sector organizations, both at the federal and provincial levels. The PTI-led coalition government has been boasting of its efforts to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic. However, its overall response to the pandemic has been rife with incompetence. When infections rose in neighbouring countries, our indifferent rulers remained unprepared for the pandemic and now it is the poor that bear the brunt of the catastrophe. The surge in new cases speaks for itself.

Our public-sector hospitals are battling this surge, but some incompetent and corrupt officials are only adding to the problem. Pitifully, even though the virus has been here for months, the government still has no comprehensive plan to address the problem. The extent to which the virus has spread across Pakistan remains unknown. No doubt, the actual numbers remain low compared to other countries, but the mortality rates suggest that the worst has still not passed. The rulers in Islamabad should take urgent and aggressive action against both the virus and corruption, our national preexisting condition.

Hashim Abro

Islamabad