‘No’ to indefinite lockdown

In every speech, Prime Minister Imran Khan consoles his nation. In every media interaction, the prime minister of Pakistan tells Pakistanis not to panic. In his tweets he advises the nation to chin up, observe prevention guidelines, practice self-isolation. In every address, he reassures the economically weak and those living below the poverty line that he is there for them.
Similarly, Army Chief also have welfare of the people and the have-nots close to his heart; which is why civil and military leadership said ‘No’ to indefinite lock down. Last week, Army Chief General Qamar Bajwa called for national unity in the fight against Covid-19, as the Commander of Army’s Air Defence Command, Lt. General Hamood-uz-Zaman Khan, was designated as convener of the newly-established National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC).
To dispel the impression of military calling the shots, the NCOC would act as the implementation arm of the NCC. The COAS said that all necessary measures to ensure public safety are being taken. Troops on ground must reach out to citizens in every nook and corner of Pakistan not only to protect them against this pandemic but also for bringing comfort in this hour of distress. According to the ISPR, the forum was briefed about the latest situation on containment efforts and enforcement measures against the COVID-19 and troops deployment across the country assisting federal and provincial administrations in aid of civil power including reaching out to vulnerable people. Pakistan cannot afford an “indefinite lockdown,” the spokesperson of Pakistan’s armed forces Major General Babar Iftikhar said on Friday.
Addressing a press conference alongside Special Assistant to the P.M. on Information Firdous Ashiq Awan, he said that information available with the National Command Operation Center on COVID-19 had made it clear that Pakistan had limited resources to sustain the movement restrictions currently in place across the country. “We will have to keep our essential services functioning as well,” he added. A section of media had insinuated that by establishing Command Operation Centre, military was calling the shots. Briefing journalists about the functioning of the Command Operation Center, the spokesman said Planning Minister Asad Umar was leading it. The NCOC serves as the nerve center to “collate and analyze information received from provinces, after which recommendations are made to National Command Center,” he said.
Last month, Prime Minister Khan had announced a relief package that was clearly the outcome of long, exhaustive and well-planned work of Khan’s “handpicked” team. Imran Khan the politician and Imran Khan the prime minister has always been deeply concerned about the wellbeing of the people of Pakistan. Coronavirus, so far, is the biggest test of his leadership as the prime minister of the country with very limited resources. The media in most countries has a single-point agenda: COVID-19. In Pakistan, media also has a single-point agenda: how to politicise coronavirus while saying how not to politicise coronavirus.
When the world is united in its agony of once-in-a-century pandemic, where almost all the countries of all the continents except Antarctica are watching in terror-stricken sadness their young and old, their rich and poor, their healthy and frail testing positive for coronavirus, and when the international media has synchronised all its coverage and reportage to COVID-19, the March 24 Pakistan media event had questions and remarks that had not much to do with coronavirus.