Khurram Iqbal
COVID-19 has taken aback the countries globally. The number of cases is increasing exponentially. The epicentre of Covid-19 has taken shifts from Wuhan to Europe and from Europe to the US. It has hit these mighty and technologically hegemonic states terribly. These countries have been fighting against Covid-19 by applying all conventional and newly formulated methods and mechanisms.
Besides taking away the life of more than three million people around the globe so far, Covid-19 has altered the socio-politico-economic dynamics of the countries altogether, including Pakistan. Like all other countries, Pakistan has also applied the very method of combating Covid-19 e.g. lockdown, though not effectively. Inefficient handling of the contagion led the people to confusion who then thronged the markets, shops, banks, mosques etc. Nonetheless, the lockdown remained as a soft-lockdown and the curve of cases kept going upward instead of flattening the curve. However, unlike Pakistan, the AJK Government handled the virus very efficiently.
The implementation of lockdown in AJK has been marvellous in terms of controlling the spread of Covid-19. AJK consists of 10 districts and there are around 11 major entry points into the AJK from Pakistan. Firstly, the government of AJK closed all these points to block the entry of all. Secondly, it also restricted the people’s movement inside the Azad territory. Thirdly, the economic activities in the markets were put to recess.
Lastly, the gathering in mosques and at funeral prayers was brought right in consonance with the declared SOPs of Health Emergency. Though all these measures were enforced strictly and indiscriminately, yet AJK has to face the music on another front i.e. its Diaspora who came back, especially from the UK in greater numbers. The policy of tracking and tracing was applied and all such people were traced and screened. Those who were symptomatic were quarantined and tested clinically.
Fortunately, a vast majority of them tested negative. One thing worth mentioning is that there has not been even a single case in AJK which is locally generated. The earlier cases were of the Zaireen and Tableeghi Jammat. One special case of Covid-19 was reported in district Kotli where a dead body was brought in from Sargodha. This dead body wasn’t hurdled because the bereaved had a certificate declaring the cause of death as heart-attack. However after funeral, close relatives of the diseased were quarantined and tested clinically and there were eight people, tested positive. Had they not been quarantined in time, it would have been disastrous for the district.
Kotli which is also known as the “city of mosques” shares around 100 km with the LoC. The second case of Covid-19 was reported in the district at Chatter-Janoobi. The victim was a person who returned from Karachi and to deal with this, the Tehsil Administration introduced a new “Model of Administration” under which he was traced, quarantined and tested. Sadly, he tested positive. Then his family was quarantined and two of his family members also tested positive. This was a bit challenging for the local administration. Under the supervision of Deputy Commissioner, the tehsil administration sealed off the whole village comprising 45 houses and 360 people.
This was very difficult for the people to be restricted and not to be allowed to go even for the sustenance of life. The challenge was dealt with by the innovative and model administration of Assistant Commissioner (AC) and Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP). First and the foremost, all the local NGOs, associations of traders, doctors and gas dealers were called in and asked for the financial assistance for the people who have been quarantined in their houses.
Luckily every one of them responded positively and the villagers were provided with adequate ration. With the application of this Model-Administration one can hope for the elimination of this virus from the locality. It can also be inferred from this that if in any area Covid-19 is found active and if this Model-Administration is applied, then we can easily emerge safer out of this pandemic.
—The writer is Assistant Superintendent of Police, AJK.
