PTI Karachi President Khurram Sher Zaman Zaman has said Sindh Health Minister Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho went into quarantine just as the coronavirus pandemic surfaced in Pakistan on February 26. Incidents at the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) and Dr Ruth K. M. Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi are “sources of embarrassment to the government”, he added. “We’re continuously telling the government of Sindh not to spread fear among the people,” he commented, adding that the province’s biggest hospitals did not have facilities to treat people. “Every patient is being categorised as a corona patient,” he added but did not provide any basis for his claim. “The government of Sindh has forgotten its responsibilities under the guise of the 18th Amendment,” the PTI leader said, noting that a health emergency should be declared in Sindh and the relevant minister — Dr Pechuho — removed. Zaman had last week said his party would continue to raise its voice against “every wrongdoing” of the Sindh government, demanding that the province allow the transporters to resume their services after their delegation met him to discuss the imposition of the virus lockdown. He had alleged that the government of Sindh had not taken its federal counterpart on board before announcing the lockdown. “Now they are facing public criticism. Each of their strategy, including the distribution of rations, has miserably failed. “Every citizen of Sindh is disappointed with their attitude. Karachi is on the verge of destruction,” he had claimed. “The attitude of the government is turning cruel day by day.” He had further claimed that the Sindh police was exploiting the situation, extorting money and looting trucks by saying that they did not obey the federal directives but only followed the Sindh government’s orders. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader said that the provincial government was spreading not only pessimism but also hatred through their advisers and ministers. “The Sindh government has now started arresting some traders and we condemn that act in strong words,” he said.
