By Sehar Kamran
As Covid-19 continues its upward trajectory in the world, the
number of infected patients in Pakistan are also on an incline. The virus has
already wreaked havoc in the world, spread in over 190 countries and
territories and killed more than 250,000 people according to data compiled by
the John Hopkins University.
In Pakistan, the number of infected cases has
crossed the threshold of more than 22,500 and 526 people have died since the
country reported its first case in the last week of February. Economic
projections are dire. According to a UN Conference on Trade and Development
report released on March 30: “Developing countries, including Pakistan, will be
hit hardest by the economic shockwaves caused by the novel coronavirus crisis
that has shaken the world and will need a support package of up to $2.5
trillion to cope with the damage.”
To make matters worse, there has been consistent
disagreement on policies between the center and provincial governments of Sindh
regarding how to handle and prevent COVID-19 from spreading.
From day one, the Sindh government has called
for a complete shutdown and ban on the movement of people as per the advice of
health experts, but the federal government’s policies and statements have been
baffling at best.
Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah took a
proactive approach and imposed a complete lockdown when the federal government
was still mulling over its strategy. The PPP-led provincial government under
Shah was clear and concise in its approach and took a number of bold steps
which helped slow down the spread of the virus in the province after an initial
spike in patients.
In March, the world’s largest Coronavirus
Emergency Care and Cure Centre with isolation wards was established at the
Labour Colony flats in Sukkur by the Sindh government. Health desks were set up
at Jinnah International Airport Karachi for screening all passengers flying
into the country, approved by WHO officials. Sindh also established the
country’s first drive-through COVID-19 testing facility in Karachi last month.
Despite limited provincial resources and little to no help
from the federal government, the Sindh Cabinet recently approved the “Corona
Ordinance” to help mitigate the economic repercussions of the virus on the
worst affected people in the province. Under the ordinance, multiple relief
measures have been provided to the people, ranging from 20 percent reduction in
school fees, a decrease in house rent, making it mandatory for employers in the
private sector to not sack or terminate their employees and also ensuring they
are getting paid. Power companies have also been instructed to reduce electricity
bills in stages.
CM Shah and his team rightfully deserve
appreciation for rising up to the occasion beyond partisanship and taking the
hard decisions. However, a provincial government can only do so much on its
own, especially when the federal government is unclear on its strategies to
fight the pandemic.
The lack of clarity and a uniform joint policy
from the center has affected the ability of all provinces to tackle the virus.
Where Sindh government has been vocal and decisive on a complete lockdown from
the earliest days, the federal government has opposed the policy. Despite
results showing that only a complete lockdown and mass testing of the
population will stem the tide of COVID-19, the hem-and-haw of the federal
government is a ticking time bomb.
Mosques have been open since the beginning of
Ramadan. Ignoring the advice of medical health professionals, the federal
government has decided to ease the lockdown across the country after May 9.
Shutdown and social distancing rules are already
being flouted across the country, and as a result, we have seen an increase in
the number of infected people in the last week or so. Another alarming factor
is a decrease in the number of tests being provided by the federal government
to detect the virus.
In comparison, the number of testing in Sindh
has remained the same because the provincial government has been utilizing its
own funds to ensure the safety and protection of the people.
The uncertainty and confusion in policy between
the federation and the provincial governments regarding lockdown measures could
lead to the untimely death of hundreds, or thousands of people.
An economy can recover after a few years but the
lives lost cannot be returned. Doctors from Punjab, Sindh and Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa have already appealed to the federal and the provincial governments
to review their decision and impose a stricter lockdown in order to prevent the
spread of the virus.
Globally, thousands of deaths could have been
prevented if world leaders had listened to the experts, but they refused to
take proactive measures and gauge the seriousness of the situation. As a
result, over a quarter of a million people have died from the virus already,
and the world has been in lockdown mode since March.
Political point-scoring can wait. Lives need to
be saved right now.
(Sehar Kamran is the President of the
Centre for Pakistan and Gulf Studies (CPGS), she is a prominent politician,
academician and practitioner in the areas of regional, international defense
and strategic studies.Twitter @SeharKamran)
