Chairman Bilawal Bhutto, Pakistan People’s Party earned praise for adopting ‘no criticism policy’ on the federal government and other provincial governments over their response to fight global pandemic coronavirus.
He showed confidence on Prime Minister Imran Khan and his team to effectively fight coronavirus in Pakistan in his detailed press conference yesterday. Bhutto evaded several opportunities to lambast PM Khan and the federal government over the surge in cases of coronavirus in Pakistan throughout the presser yesterday.
In a sturdy statement, Bilawal Bhutto said Prime Minister Imran Khan is the leader and health minister of the nation hence all the efforts should be geared towards supporting the federal government.
Gud presser by bilawal bhutto.fight the crisis.prepare for the future,setup field hospitals,isolation centres,buy testing kits,we need ventilators,provinces shud raise the demand &federal govt shud go in the market.we r running out of time.hope for the best prepare the worst
— Kashif Abbasi (@Kashifabbasiary) March 19, 2020
Bilawal Bhutto, however, urged the federal government to take the ‘proactive and interventionist approach’ to tackle coronavirus. He called it a national challenge, saying that beyond political and ideological differences every individual has to play its role.
Read more: Why Coronavirus is a grave security challenge for Pakistan
“We should not waste our energies over criticism, the blame game and political point-scoring,” he said in reply to a question about his thoughts over responsibility for the recent surge in coronavirus cases in the country.
The mature and sensible speech we should have heard from PM Khan is coming from someone half his age, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. Shahbash Sindh Government! Thank you for being logical, swift, approachable and efficient. #PakistanFightsCorona #Bilawal
— Fatima Sajjad Shah (@FatimaShah95) March 19, 2020
“It’s not the time to criticize the prime minister and I would not blame him or anyone. Instead, I should hope that he and every single citizen of Pakistan can win this fight. There is a need for increased coordination and unity,” said Bilawal Bhutto.
He added that there are severe economic repercussions of lockdown and could cause problems for people getting food hence Sindh government is preparing to deliver rations to the affected families at their homes.
“We need to understand that the war against coronavirus has to be fought on two fronts: containing the spread of the virus and mitigating the economic damage the virus will cause. I urge the federal government to help all the provinces. Our steps could only be effective if the country is united,” said the PPP chairman.
Bilawal Bhutto also advised the federal government to make arrangements for mass testing and make available as many kits as possible.