Mubashar Naqvi
Muzaffarabad
Prime Minister Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Raja Farooq Haider Khan on Monday called for national unity and collaborative efforts to fight the coronavirus. He was addressing the meeting of the National Coordination Committee (NCC) through video-link here on Monday. In-charge Control Room Asad Ummer, Chief Ministers and Chief Secretaries of all four provinces and other concerned officials attended the meeting.
Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister said that it is high time to build national consensus taking concrete measures for the elimination of the coronavirus.
He said state government particularly its administration and police rendered marvelous services while dealing with the COVID-19 despite limited resources.
The Prime Minister said flight operation was being made operational in Pakistan and urged federal government to schedule flights of AJK travelers through Islamabad International Airport where, the state government’s constituted committee would be available to track record of the foreign travelers.
He said AJK government would establish a Special Desk at the Islamabad Airport, which would be responsible to quarantine the foreign returned state’s citizen besides arranging their required coronavirus tests and overseeing other screening procedures. Raja Farooq Haider Khan told that state government had made it mandatory for the masses to wear masks at all public places.
He said we have also suggested to for the conditional opening of the public transport with SOPs under which one passenger would have to pay for the two seats ensuring social distancing and other precautionary measures.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider Khan called on Federal Minister for Planning and Development Asad Ummer in Islamabad and discussed with him the latest situation of Indian Occupied Kashmir and other issues of mutual interest.
On this occasion, both the leaders expressed grave concern over the deteriorating human rights situation in the held valley. The Prime Minister told Asad Ummer that Indian occupant forces while taking undue advantage of the COVID-19 committing massive human rights abuses in the occupied territory.
He said through changes in the domicile laws, Indian government is settling non-state subjects particularly Hindus in the held valley to change its demographic composition and converting Muslim majority into minority. Raja Farooq Haider Khan urged government of Pakistan to raise strong voice over the Indian nefarious designs and warned world community that such steps would push the region towards instability and unending war.
While discussing the upcoming budget of the state, he said in the wake of COVID-19, AJK government would provide maximum relief to the public in the budget 2020-21.
Meanwhile after nine new cases of novel corona virus registered during last 24 hours in Azad Jammu Kashmir (AJK), the number of confirmed corona-virus cases registered positive increasing the total tally to 264 cases across the State on Monday, AJK Health Services authorities said. In a statement on the updated situation of pandemic, the State Health Services authorities confirmed the registration of nine new cases in AJK – all belonged to Mirpur district.
