Total number of confirmed coronavirus cases globally has risen to 0.3 million and worldwide governments are facing an uphill task to control the situation. Hospitals are the major battlefield where equipment, supplies, and trained staff members are depleting daily making the response measures more daunting and challenging.
In order to lessen the burden on hospitals and prioritised patients, governments have announced measures such as self-isolation and forced isolation to control the rapid spread of the virus. Pakistan have also taken various active and precautionary steps as part of response mechanism to control the situation within country.
However, other than conventional challenges, Pakistan government is also facing additional challenges such as using the disease for internal politics and point scoring. Leaders of the so called Pakhtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) has continuously termed the disease as a sponsored effort by Army to secure dollars and funds. Ali Wazir in his tweet expressed the same.
پولیو سے ڈالر جوڑ گۓ تو کیا پندرہ سالوں میں پولیو کا خاتمہ ہوا؟
اب کرونہ سے ڈالر جوڑ گۓ دیکھتے ہیں کب ختم کراتے ہیں!#StopStateTerrorism#CoronavirusOutbreak pic.twitter.com/F01ESovZFH— Ali Wazir (@Aliwazirna50) March 18, 2020
Ali wazir later on also objected to the location of quarantine centres irresponsibly terming it as anti-Pashtun and an effort to undertake systematic Pashtun killings.
کرونہ کے متاثرین کے لیے اٸرپورٹ بندگاہوں اور باڈرز پر بندوبست ہونا چاہیے یہ کیاطریقہ ہے کہہ زاٸرین کو درازندہ ڈیرہ اسماعیل خان اور سکھر اور دوسرے شہروں میں لایا جا رہا ہے کہیں سازش تو نہیں ہو رہی٠#StopStateTerrorism #coronavirusinpakistan
— Ali Wazir (@Aliwazirna50) March 16, 2020
Another leader of PTM, Mohsin Dawar, despite coronavirus threat held a gathering of tribal people by putting their lives in danger. A video to this effect is doing rounds on social media, where Mohsin Dawar can be seen addressing the gathering of people particularly children. During his speech, he termed corona virus an opportunity for Pakistan Army to collect funds from global community.
Tribal districts already have very less education and lacks basic awareness on the corona virus issue. Such irresponsible and harmful statements by Parliamentarians is going to further aggravate the situation in tribal areas. Rather than helping district administrations in spreading awareness, they are actively involved in misleading tribals on the issue for their pity political gains. How much harm these statements have done, is going to unfold in coming days.
However, this has raised serious doubts over Speaker National Assembly role in enforcing code of conduct. Despite continuous negative and harmful propaganda, which may seriously affect government efforts in North Waziristan and South Waziristan districts, no steps have been taken by the Speaker of National Assembly against both MNAs. Speaker National Assembly needs to draw a line on the matter before it further harm public interests. Freedom of speech is every citizen right but it should never harm public interests.
