KARACHI: Sindh Minister for Information Syed Nasir Hussain Shah has said that Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has appealed to the people of Pakistan, including those living abroad, to donate to the Emergency Corona Fund of the provincial government and assist the government in the fight against the pandemic.

In a statement on Monday, Nasir Shah also expressed the hope that after China, Pakistan would be the second country to get rid of coronavirus completely.

He said that donations can be deposited in Sindh Bank account number IBAN-PK75SIND000-3015594456100.

The account details for those in the USA and UK who want to donate to the Sindh government’s corona fund and want a tax exemption are: The I-care America Fund, Inc. “On Account: Government of Sindh Corona virus Emergency Fund Bank of America Charles River Park, 161 Cambridge Street, Boston, MA 02114 Account Number - 223026206461 Routing Number - 026009593 Swift code - BOFAUS3N.

The minister said that the government was considering various options to provide ration and cash to the affectees of lockdown and all possible measures were in the final stages of implementation.

In this regard, the Sindh government was also launching a mobile registration system, through which all needy people would be registered first and then after verification the cash would be transferred to them through mobile cash transfer service, he said.

Telling about the verification process, Nasir Shah said that the services of Nadra, Federal Board of Revenue, State Bank of Pakistan and the Federal Investigation Agency had been sought in this regard.

He said that only one person from a family would be registered and then the cash would be transferred on their mobile number.

The minister said that with the assistance of the FIA the data of all those people who travelled abroad would be obtained because the government knew that the poor people also went to perform Haj and Umrah.

Data would also be obtained from the SBP to facilitate all those people who had less than Rs10,000 in their account.

He said that soon this registration process would be completed and cash transfer would be initiated to all the needy people.

Published in Dawn, March 31st, 2020