By Muhammad Luqman
Pakistan’s former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has tested positive for coronavirus, according to media reports on Monday.
Abbasi, who served as premier for 10 months from 2017 to 2018 following the disqualification of three-time premier Nawaz Sharif by country’s apex court, has gone into self-isolation.
Opposition leader in the lower house of the parliament, Shehbaz Sharif, who is also the president of Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz), has wished early recovery of Shahid Khaqan Abbasi from the COVID-19.
Abbasi is the senior vice president of the party.
Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, and former health minister of central Pakistan province of Punjab, Khawaja Salman Rafiq, have also contracted the virus.
A spokesman for Pakistan Railways confirmed that Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, who has no apparent symptoms, has isolated himself at his Lal Haveli residence in garrison town of Rawalpindi after testing positive.
Other high-profile politicians who tested positive for coronavirus in Pakistan include governor of Sindh province Imran Ismail, and National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser, among others.
The country has reported 105637 infections thus far, including 2,108 deaths and 34,355 recoveries. The numbers have shot up rapidly following an ease in lockdown during the month of Ramadan and afterwards.
With rising increase in the COVID-19 infected people, Pakistan has been become 14th country with major burden of the contagion in terms of patients and deaths.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Imran Khan has said the government expects coronavirus cases in the country to peak by end of July or early August.
The government had earlier said they expect Pakistan’s coronavirus peak by end of May or early June.
The premier said it is a fact that the virus will spread and the “the trend our experts have observed is that it spreads, then peaks after a few weeks and then the curve will flatten”.
“The purpose of flattening the curve is to ease the pressure on hospitals,” explained the premier while addressing the nation on state television.
“We can manage the pandemic if we observe the SOPs in place and take precautions,” the premier urged the people.
“We expect our peak to come by the end of July or August and then we will witness a reduction in transmission of new cases.”
The premier urged the people to follow the standard operating procedures (SOPs) and to start wearing masks.
“Please wear masks, this is important. The world has realised that masks can prevent the spread of coronavirus by up to 50 per cent. Secondly, when you go to public spaces, follow the guidelines that have been issued by the government.”
“By not adhering to SOPs we are threatening the lives of our elderly,” he said adding that the immunocompromised were also at risk. He warned that Pakistan might also have to face the kind of Covid-19 conditions prevailing in the US, in Brazil and in Europe if citizens are not careful.
The prime minister also said that a lockdown is not the solution to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“During the lockdown, people – especially labourers and lower-income groups – went through a very difficult.”
He added that we, as a people, must realise that Pakistan is a poor country and there was no other choice to reopen businesses.
“The entire world understands now that lockdowns are not a solution.”
He gave the example of the United States and said the country had the highest number of coronavirus cases and deaths but the US government still went ahead and reopened the country.
PM Imran also referred to the application launched by the NCOC – Pak Nighaybaan – which would guide citizens towards which health care facility had what resources available nearest to them.
He further announced that the government would be distributing a 1,000 more ICU beds in hospitals across the country.
