AS the opposition is in an upbeat mood to go ahead with its plans to hold rallies and long march, Prime Minister Imran Khan, on Thursday, once again made an impassioned appeal to the opposition to reconsider its strategy for the sake of safety of the people. In a televised address after chairing a meeting of the National Coordination Committee on Covid-19, he asked the opposition to postpone rallies for two to three months, as 64 percent beds in Multan, where it held a rally recently, were now occupied by the corona patients.
There is no denying the fact that the renewed spread of the virus poses a potent threat and the pandemic can only be checked through collective efforts. The second wave is not a stunt as some circles believe as hospitals are full of corona patients and more and more people are contracting the virus with the passage of every day. As many as 57 Covid-19 patients including Advisor to Sindh Chief Minister on Social Welfare Syed Aijaz Ali Shah Sheerazi and Chairman-designate of the Federal Public Service Commission Maroof Afzal died in just 24 hours. The total active cases in the country on Thursday were recorded 46,376, as 3138 more people tested positive. It is also a reality that the opposition rallies are not the only or major source of the spread of the disease as the Government is portraying but it is understood that violation of SOPs including social distancing becomes a source of the spread of the contagious virus. The opposition has not only announced to hold a big rally at Minar-e-Pakistan on December 13 but PML(N) leadership is also organizing rallies on an almost daily basis to build momentum for the ‘grand’ show. The aggravating situation surely demands that the opposition should listen to the appeal of the Prime Minister as all politicians claim to be championing the cause of the people. The PM is asking for postponement of the agitation plan for about three months when the country is expected to start an immunization programme after procurement of the vaccine. The protest campaign of the opposition would, of course, lose its momentum but this is not a big cost if seen in the backdrop of threats to health of the people. However, the opposition is unlikely to respond to verbal appeals until and unless the Government makes some tangible move for dialogue with PDM.
