CMYK
Monday, 4 May, 2020 I 10 Ramzan-ul-Mubarak, 1441 I Rs 15.00 I Vol X No 306 I 56 Pages I Lahore Edition
Govt says loCkdown will remain intaCt, may ease some restriCtions g
MInISTeR SAyS GOvT cAn’T AFFORD TO lIFT lOcKDOWn cOMPleTely AS IT cAn leAD TO OveRBURDenInG OF heAlThcARe SySTeM
ISLAMABAD staff report
t
he federal government on Sunday said that the restrictions imposed to curb the infection would continue to remain intact in the country due to the rising number of coronavirus, however, a decision regarding ease in the lockdown to facilitate the businesses will be taken on May 9. As of Sunday 11 pm, the country’s coronavirus cases stood at 20,130 with 5,114 recoveries and 459 deaths. Punjab had 7,494 cases, followed closely by Sindh with 7,465. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) had 3,129 cases, Balochistan 1,218 Islamabad capital Territory (IcT) 393, GilgitBaltistan (GB) 356 and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) 67. Addressing a press conference at the national command and Operation centre (ncOc) in Islamabad, Federal Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar said that Prime Minister Imran Khan will be briefed on the current cOvID-19 situation
g
SAyS PAKISTAn hAS lOST RS119Bn In One MOnTh, 2070 MIllIOn PeOPle cOUlD FAll BelOW POveRTy lIne
in the next few days, assuring that any decision with regard to the national quarantine will be taken after consulting all the stakeholders. commenting on the severity of the epidemic in the country, Umar noted that the coronavirus situation in Pakistan was not “as fatal” as it was in the rest of the world especially the West — which the World health Organisation (WhO) had declared as the new epicentre of the pandemic. he compared Pakistan’s death rates to that of the rest of the world. “The coronavirus has caused 58 per cent more deaths in the United States, 201 per cent more in Spain and 124 per cent more in the United Kingdom,” he said. Referring to the foreign media’s focus on the concept of “flattening the curve”, Umar explained that countries worldwide were “not focusing on eliminating the virus but on controlling it”. he added that even they have realised that the actions needed to eliminate the virus would be “too strict for the people to bear”. Speaking about Pakistan’s situation,
Coronavirus in
Pakistan
Umar said that the country was reporting 24 deaths daily on average for the past few weeks and if this was extended to a month, it would amount to nearly 720 deaths per month. “comparatively some 4,000 people die in traffic accidents across the country each month. But we still allow traffic because it is necessary,” he said. “If we focus on bringing deaths due to coronavirus to zero, we have to realise that we cannot bear the measures it would take [to do that],” he added. ‘FOOD CONSUMPTION REDUCED AMID EPIDEMIC’: Talking about the impact of coronavirus on poverty and hunger, Umar cited a research by Pakistan Institute of Development economics (PIDe) which showed that between 20 million to 70 million people could fall below the poverty line. he added that according to PIDe’s calculations, 18 million people could lose their jobs due to cOvID-19. he added that a recent Gallup survey found that one in four Pakistanis saw a reduction in their diets because of the virus. Umar underscored the economic devastation caused by the virus, saying that while the virus was not as fatal in Pakistan as in other countries, its economic impact was worse. “We have seen revenues decrease by Rs119 billion in just one month. Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) has shown that some 1 million small organisations might shut down permanently,” he said. he added that research by a renowned university revealed that “the cost imposed by economic and social distancing may be large in terms of immediate deprivation and hunger”. Quoting another Gallup survey, he said that Pakistanis’ livelihoods were more affected by the virus than the people of any other country.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 02
Faraz says govt will resolve media workers’ woes g
MInISTeR SAyS vIBRAnT MeDIA AnD DeMOcRAcy GO hAnD In hAnD, GOvT FIRMly BelIeveS In FReeDOM OF exPReSSIOn ISLAMABAD staff report
Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Senator Shibli Faraz on Sunday said the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government would take all possible steps for resolving the financial problems being faced by journalists. Addressing the participants of a media workers’ sit-in in front of Parliament house, the minister said he would strongly advocate the cause of the media industry at all relevant forums and play a proactive role in finding a durable solution. he said journalism was a noble and very important profession keeping in view its role in the political and social culture. “An independent and vibrant media, and functioning democracy were inter-dependent,” he said, adding that the media’s role in the ongoing fight against coronavirus was appreciable. Faraz said Prime Minister Imran Khan after coming into government took practical measures for the welfare of vulnerable segments of the society. he said the media workers had also been facing financial hardships for quite a while, assuring the participants that the govern-
Pakistan calls for end to media repression in Kashmir staff report
CONFIRMED CASES:
20,130
RECOVERED:
5,114 SINDH:
7,465
DEATHS:
459
PUNJAB:
7,494
KP:
BALOCHISTAN:
AJK/GB:
ISLAMABAD:
3,129 67/364
1,218 393
CONTINUED ON PAGE 02 fiqah-e-hanfia
lahore sehr: 3:44 aM iftar: 6:46 PM
islaMabad sehr: 3:42 aM iftar: 6:54 PM
karachi sehr: 4:31 aM iftar: 7:04 PM
fiqah-e-jafaria lahore sehr: 3:34 aM iftar: 6:56 PM
ISLAMABAD Pakistan has called for an end to the “campaign of harassment and intimidation” of Kashmiri journalists, as it condemned India’s repression of the media in occupied Kashmir. In a statement issued on World Press Freedom Day, Foreign Office Spokesperson Aisha Farooqui said that Pakistan expressed solidarity with the journalist community in Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir. “While saluting their exceptional courage, we also honour the sacrifice of those Kashmiri journalists who have laid down their lives in the line of duty. The latest among those martyrs was Shujaat Bukhari in June 2018.” The FO spokesperson also expressed appreciation for the work journalists in the occupied valley are doing. “It is commendable that Kashmiri journalists continue to work with conviction and professionalism, despite the heavy handedness of Indian occupation forces acting with impunity under the draconian Public Safety Act, the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, and Unlaw-
ment would address their problems on a priority basis. he expressed the hope that there would be good news for the media before eidul Fitr, adding that major chunk of their outstanding salaries would be paid. he said he had come to the sit-in to express solidarity with them and to get information about the problems being faced by media workers. he said the media persons remained in the forefront of PTI’s struggle against the status quo and its government would never let them down. he said he himself belonged to a literary family. As his father was related to the pen profession, he considered himself part of that tribe, so he could not think of going against the interests of that profession. The minister said the government appreciated the “constructive criticism” by the media as the watchdog, which was helpful in improving governance. he expressed the hope that the media would also highlight the constructive and positive steps taken by the government. earlier in the day, Faraz said the government firmly believes in the fundamental, constitutional and legal right of freedom of expression.
islaMabad sehr: 3:32 aM iftar: 7:04 PM
karachi sehr: 4:21 aM iftar: 7:14 PM
more inside
Govt to take big steps to accelerate economic activities: PM STORY ON PAGE 02 ful Activities Prevention Act. “Global media watchdogs, Indian and international human rights groups, and civil society organisations have expressed deep concerns over unprecedented restrictions imposed on the media, the widespread intimidation of Kashmiri journalists, and the precarious state of their work environment,” she said. The statement added: “It is clear that the RSS-inspired Bharatiya Janata Party government is motivated by the sole objective of hiding its blatant human rights violations in occupied Kashmir and is bent on muzzling independent voices of the media and journalists.” According to the spokesper-
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son, the situation has become increasingly alarming since India’s “illegal and unilateral” actions on August 5, 2019, when it revoked the region’s special autonomy through a presidential decree. The FO called upon India to lift all communication restrictions in occupied Kashmir, withdraw “frivolous cases” against Kashmiri journalists and restore the fundamental freedom of the people of the occupied valley. In June 2018, Bukhari — a veteran Kashmiri journalist — was shot dead in Srinagar. On April 20, police in occupied Kashmir said they were investigating two journalists for allegedly spreading “fake news”.
NAB summons Shehbaz for third time STORY ON PAGE 03 in today’s issue
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