Web Desk
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that the world must fight the global challenge confronting humanity, in the form of the coronavrius pandemic, together as he expressed solidarity with the neighbouring India.
“I want to express our solidarity with the people of India as they battle a dangerous wave of COVID-19,” tweeted PM Imran Khan on Saturday.
Imran Khan said that the Pakistani nation is praying for the speedy recovery of patients suffering from the pandemic in the neighbourhood and the world.
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has also extended Pakistan’s heartfelt sympathies to the Indians affected by COVID-19.
“We express our support to the people of India in the wake of the current wave of COVID-19 infections, that has hit our region hard,” tweeted the foreign minister.
Pakistan’s top diplomat said that on behalf of the people of Pakistan he extends “heartfelt sympathies” to the affected families in India.
“COVID-19 is yet another reminder that humanitarian issues require responses beyond political consideration,” said the foreign minister.
He added that Pakistan is working with SAARC countries to foster cooperation to tackle the pandemic.
India has the second largest number of coronavirus cases in the world, and its infection numbers are rising again, BBC reported.
Neighbouring countries are also seeing cases rising, as they attempt to ramp up vaccination programmes which only started in the last couple of months.
India’s population of 1.3 billion dwarfs that of its neighbours, so it’s no surprise that its overall infection numbers are much higher, BBC said.
It’s now reporting more than 100,000 cases in a single day, which is higher than the daily peak during last year’s initial coronavirus wave.
And the Indian authorities recently reported the presence of a “double mutant” variant, leading to concerns that this might make the virus more transmissible.
There is also spike in the coronavirus cases in other South Asian countries. After going through a second wave in October, Pakistan is witnessing a third surge with infections picking up sharply throughout March.
It has imposed new restrictions in areas with rising cases, making masks mandatory and limiting public gatherings.
In Nepal, there are fears of a second wave as infections began to show an increase in late March.
Afghanistan has also reported a rise in new cases at the start of April, but there are questions about the reliability of its official figures.
In Sri Lanka, daily cases are going up but not at the rate of its neighbours.
