Thursday, 29 October, 2020 I 11 Rabi-ul-Awwal, 1442 I Rs 15.00 I Vol XI No 120 I 12 Pages I Lahore Edition
Masks Made coMpulsory as covid-19 cases surge g
PM declares next two Months crucial as Pakistan graPPles with increasing cases LAHORE staff report
a
s the country reported 825 fresh infections of the coronavirus after conducting 29,477 tests in the last 24 hours with an inflated positivity ratio of 2.8 per cent, the government on wednesday made it mandatory for all citizens to wear a face mask when stepping out of their homes. the decision was taken during a meeting of the national command and operation centre (ncoc) which asked all four provinces to ensure that people wear face masks and adhere to government-devised health guidelines, particularly in markets, shopping malls, public transport and restaurants. the directive comes a day after dr Faisal sultan, special assistant to the prime minister on health, warned the country was currently experiencing the start of a second wave of the virus. addressing a press conference in islamabad on tuesday, he had said if the situation continued to worsen, new quarantine restrictions could be introduced to curtail the virus. the ncoc statement also said the positivity ratio for coronavirus had reached 80 percent in 11 major cities. “4,374 lockdowns imposed in 11 cities of Pakistan, including Quetta, lahore, rawalpindi, Multan, Peshawar, islamabad, hyderabad, Mirpur, karachi, gilgit and Muzaffarabad,” it added. the ncoc also issued a warning to business owners to shut down their establishments by 10 pm. this decision was made in an attempt to curb the spread of covid-19, and it applies to restaurants, wedding halls, commercial markets, and shopping malls. areas of recreation have been asked to shut down by 6 pm. essential services such as medical stores, clinics and hospitals will remain open. health authorities have been sound-
In letter to Muslim leaders, Imran urges Ummah to unite against Islamophobia ISLAMABAD staff report
ing the alarm about a second wave of the virus for several weeks now. daily infections and deaths are once more on the rise, raising fears that disease is making a comeback as the public becomes more apathetic toward social distancing measures. “a few weeks ago, we were getting 400 to 500 cases per day, but now it has increased to 700 to 750 cases. Moreover, the mortality rate has also increased. another ratio which is considered is percentage positivity — the number of positive cases in samples of 100 — that remained less than two percent, but now it has reached close to 3 per cent,” sultan had told the presser. it is worth mentioning here that the country has yet to fully utilise its testing capacity of 72,232 and is currently testing significantly below numbers proposed by global health experts. Meanwhile, in the 24 hours, the number of confirmed cases surged to 330,200.
coronavirus in
pakistan
CONFIRMED CASES:
330,200
LAST UPDATED AT 6:58 AM ON OCTOBER 28, 2020
DAY'S DEATH TOLL:
14
RECOVERED:
NEW CASES:
825
DEATHS:
311,814 6,759 SINDH:
PUNJAB:
144,449
103,314
KP:
BALOCHISTAN:
AJK/GB:
ISLAMABAD:
39,189
15,859
3,889/4,200 19,300
deaths increased by 14 to 6,759. at the same time, recoveries increased by 374 to 311,814, or 94.4 percent of total infections. there are currently 11,627 active virus cases in the country, with the government’s database for tracking the spread of the pandemic reporting 611 of them are in critical condition. PM DECLARES NEXT TWO MONTHS CRUCIAL: separately, declaring the next two months crucial, Prime Minister imran khan urged the people to take precautionary measures as the second wave of the novel coronavirus has hit the country. addressing the insaf doctors Forum convention on wednesday, the premier lauded the services of doctors and paramedics who are at the forefront in the country’s fight against covid-19 pandemic. he said that the number of coronavirus patients is increasing due to the second wave of the virus and “we must have to adopt preventive measures in this regard”.
calling on leaders of Muslim states to “collectively take the lead in breaking this cycle of hate and extremism”, Prime Minister imran khan on wednesday stressed the time had come to put an end to islamophobia and attacks on islam. in a letter to heads of the Muslim nations, the premier urged them to collectively explain to non-Muslims the “deep-seated reverence and love all Muslims feel” for the holy Quran and holy Prophet (Peace Be upon him). the letter, dated october 28, which was shared on twitter and Facebook accounts of the premier, highlighted the growing concern and restlessness amongst the ummah as they see the rising tide of islamophobia and attacks through ridicule and mockery of beloved holy Prophet (Peace Be upon him) in the western world, especially in europe. “in europe, mosques are being closed, Muslim women are being denied their right to wear clothing of their choice in the public domain even as nuns and priests continue to display their re-
COAS vows to combat terrorism till its elimination RAWALPINDI staff report
chief of army staff, general Qamar Javed Bajwa has said that Pakistan will not take a back seat till it takes terrorists and their facilitators to the task, said the inter-services Public relations (isPr) on wednesday. the army chief said this after inquiring about the health of seminary students and other people at lady reading hospital, who were injured in a blast at a seminary in Peshawar a day earlier. general Bajwa said that he came to express solidarity and commitment, especially to share grief of the seminary students, teachers and their families. the coas condemned the attack on the seminary in which eight persons were martyred and more than 100 were injured. “the attack on a madressah is [an act of] enmity towards islam,” said the army chief during his visit to the upper dir Malakand division. he directed troops to remain vigilant as incidents of terrorism continue to rise over the past couple of days.
ligious clothing, and covert and overt discrimination is widespread against Muslims living in those countries,” he wrote. the prime minister said that he believed the leadership of such countries often did not realise the intrinsic deep passion, love, and devotion Muslims all over the world have of their holy Prophet (Peace Be upon him) and their divine book, the holy Quran, warning that their actions were encouraging a dangerous cycle of action and reaction. he said that hurtful actions result in reactions from Muslims as they see their faith and their beloved holy Prophet (Peace Be upon him) targeted, which results in further discriminatory actions by governments against Muslim populations in their states, resulting in marginalisation of Muslims and the creating of space for radical, farright groups to exploit the situation. he added that this also provoked radicalisation, increasing the space for extremists on all sides. in this scenario, said PM imran, the leaders of the Muslim world must collectively act to break this cycle of hate and extremism.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 05
more inside
Amendments to IOK land laws aimed at converting Kashmiris into minority: FO STORY ON PAGE 03
cii submits suggestions on hindu temple construction in capital “on december 16, 2014, the enemy targeted children in the aPs massacre,” said the coas. “on october 27, the enemy targeted innocent children of a seminary,” he added. general Bajwa credited the nation for “rejecting the narrative of the militants” by showing exemplary unity, adding that the masses stood united today with the same enthusiasm and resolve. “we were united in grief yesterday, and the same is the case today,” he said. “the enemy was the same yesterday and the enemy remains the same today.”
he said that the militants’ aim is to spread terror and ensure an atmosphere of fear prevailed across the country. coas Bajwa said that educational institutions, innocent civilians and law enforcement agencies’ personnel were the main targets of the militants. he also said that Pakistan has expressed its resolve for a peaceful afghanistan, cautioning afghan refugees to stay away from terrorists. “afghan refugees will have to stay alert regarding militants so they are not used, knowingly or unknowingly, in any terrorist incident,” he further said.
STORY ON PAGE 03
DRAP notifies hike in prices of 94 lifesaving drugs STORY ON PAGE 02
PM gives threemonth deadline to ministers to improve performance STORY ON PAGE 03
