A S THE country saw a spike in Covid-19 cases again after a lull of two days on Sunday with the Punjab reporting 169 new infections and the Sindh Government sealing eleven Union Councils to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus in the wake of increasing cases, the ruling PPP in Sindh and the opposition PTI indulged in unfortunate trading of barbs on an issue that is a question of life and death for the people. Federal Ministers Syed Ali Haider Zaidi, Firdous Shamim Naqvi, and Faisal Vawda held a news conference to criticize the provincial government for its response to the virus describing it incompetent prompting provincial Ministers Saeed Ghani and Nasir Shah lashed out at the PTI’s lawmakers from Karachi for their absence from their constituencies in the city at a time when their constituents were passing through a testing time. On the face of it, there is nothing unusual as it is the job and responsibility of the Opposition to keep an eye on the working of the Government and the treasury benches try to defend their policies. But what makes the tirade between the PPP and the PTI regrettable is its timing that calls for complete unity of thinking and actions to address the challenge thrown by the fast spreading virus. The Sindh Government might have erred in handling the problem but the situation is so tricky that even countries like the United States and the United Kingdom find it almost impossible to come up to the expectations of their masses despite availability of massive resources and technology. There is also general feeling and impression that the Sindh Government led policies and strategies to deal with the Coronavirus and the measures adopted by the provincial government have had salutary impact on the overall situation. People would find it hard to buy the logic that the provincial government did nothing to ensure safety of the people or provide relief to them as Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah chaired dozens of meetings on the issue and promptly devised policies and programmes which were followed by other provinces as well. The provincial government has its own view that there should be no relaxation in the lockdown at this stage to consolidate gains and the federal government is also entitled to its strategy of ensuring that the wheel of the economy continues for the sake of overall interest of the country and poorer segments of the society. The conflicting approach makes it all the more necessary to engage into dialogue and discussions to find a middle way with priority to be given to safety of life and that means evolution of proper SOPs which can only be enforced by the provincial governments and the federal agencies can extend a helping hand for the purpose. The Federal Government also deserves appreciation for allocating billions of rupees under Ehsaas Programme for distribution among needy and deserving people throughout the country. Instead of criticizing the policy of the Federal Government on the plea that gatherings for cash disbursements are becoming a source of spread of the virus, the provincial and the federal governments should coordinate and devise a safe and secure mechanism, which should not be a difficult thing. It would be appropriate if instead of inviting the recipients to a particular point, the amount should be paid to them at their doorsteps as is being done in the case of payment of pensions and provision of life-saving medicines to regular patients of various hospitals. The overall situation is far from satisfactory and this has also been acknowledged by Prime Minister Imran Khan and other government leaders. Special Assistant to Prime Minister Dr. Zafar Mirza has also warned that the numbers could increase in the days to come, “which is why we keep repeating the importance of social distancing, personal hygiene, self-isolation, and other protective measures”. Lockdown is aimed at saving lives and avoiding unbearable pressure on the health system of the country and, therefore, it is responsibility of the entire leadership, be it Treasury or Opposition, to motivate people to stay home. There should be no political mudslinging and instead it is duty of all law-makers to complement efforts of the local, provincial and federal authorities to mobilize resources for the ongoing fight against Covid-19 and create necessary awareness among citizens to cooperate for their own sake and that of the other members of the society.