The federal government has failed to play its role in dealing with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the spokesperson for the Sindh government said on Sunday, as the tally of people infected by the virus rose above 1,500, with Punjab leading the number of cases at 570.
Speaking in a TV programme, the CM’s advisor on Law Murtaza Wahabsaid neither the centre nor the other provincial governments responded to the recommendations as per the Sindh government’s expectations. “The federal government, unfortunately, did not take the lead like it was supposed to,” Wahab said. “The government of Sindh tried engaging with the federal government and put forth recommendations to it and the provincial governments but the response was unfortunately not what we were expecting. “Border control is the federal government’s responsibility, not the provinces’,” he added. “It was the federal government that was responsible to monitor and quarantine the zaireen [pilgrims from Iran].” Explaining lockdowns, he said it did not mean banning essential items but offered to step up once again to help explain what was required. “If the entire country decides today to regulate [a lockdown], we, the Sindh government, can explain and guide in detail what categories are exempted,” the senator noted, adding that although only train operations were suspended on the centre’s orders, it was the provincial leadership that chose to halt interprovincial travelling and public transport on the provincial borders.
Had a lockdown decision been taken a month ago, the situation would have been quite different, he underscored.
“There’s no travelling from Sindh to Punjab or Punjab to Sindh; all provinces made their decisions in this regard,” he added. “If the federal government takes lead as the elder brother, as the father figure, our work can be improved tremendously.”
