Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar on Wednesday said that we need to work together to deal with natural disasters like earthquakes, hurricanes and corona-virus.
“All institutions including media, judiciary, scholars, doctors, nurses and paramedics played a vital role during the Covid pandemic.”
Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar was addressing virtually the inaugural session of the two-day national conference titled: “Challenges of Governance in Pakistan Amid Covid-19 Pandemic,” organized by
Punjab University’s Department of Political Science.
Chinese Ambassador in Pakistan Nong Rong also attended the session online, while PU Vice Chancellor Prof Niaz Ahmad Akhtar, former caretaker Punjab CM Prof Dr Hassan Askari Rizvi, Founding
Director Centre for Public Policy and Governance FC College Dr Saeed Shafqat, Dean Faculty Behavioural and Social Sciences Prof Dr Umbreen Javed, Chairperson Department of Political Science Prof Dr Iram Khalid, researchers, senior faculty members
and a large number of students participated in the conference.
Asad Umar said that during Covid-19, the Pakistani government faced twin challenges of saving the economy along with the health of people, due to which the National Coordinating Committee (NCC) and National Command and Operations Centre
(NCOC) were set up to combat and convey the truth to the people.
He said that the government and the military leadership together in the NCOC made best decisions in the national interest.
He said that the NCOC decided on lockdown, hotspot lockdown and smart lockdown based on daily basis data so that people’s health and economic condition could be improved. He said that he made all the decisions keeping in view the situation of
his country after learning from other countries.
Asad Umar said that the process of vaccination had started and the same laws were applied to all keeping aside the difference between the rich and the poor and even the President and the Prime Minister of Pakistan vaccinated themselves in their own
respective turns.
He said that keeping in view the lack of resources and poor health facilities to deal with the epidemic, the government has increased the facilities at hospitals.
The federal minister said that China supported Pakistan in difficult time.
He said that through artificial intelligence, the government was formulating a strategy for the future so that an effective and integrated strategy could be formulated to tackle
challenges like corona. He appreciated the efforts of the organizers in organizing a meaningful event.
In his address, Chinese Ambassador Nong Rong said that since the onset of the corona epidemic, the Chinese government has mobilized its people under the best possible strategy and provided awareness to meet this challenge.
He said that scientific
research and medical training were promoted on priority basis. He said that to curb the spread of corona an effective smart lockdown was implemented across the country.
He said that the Chinese government, realizing its global responsibilities, had supplied 450 million doses of vaccines to various countries and provided other medical supplies in large quantities.
He said that long-standing friendly relations with Pakistan were further enhanced during the epidemic.
He thanked the Government of Pakistan for sending medical supplies to China at the beginning of the corona. He said that the Chinese government has so far provided 3.25 million of vaccines and other
medical devices to Pakistan.
