LAHORE: Announcing its support for all steps the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf-led Punjab government will take against coronavirus, the PPP Punjab parliamentary party has sought Sindh’s help for countering the challenge.

A meeting of the group held through video link here on Thursday with Hassan Murtaza in the chair decided to support every step the Punjab government would be taking for curbing spread of the virus.

The participants urged the provincial government that as federating units are autonomous since the 18th Amendment, it should announce a relief package of its own for the needy people.

They demanded that the opposition lawmakers should be taken on broad by the deputy commissioners in the distribution of relief goods and ration. They demanded the authorities also ensure availability of hand sanitisers and face masks in the market.

Apparently dissatisfied at the slow pace of protection measures being taken at official level in Punjab, they appealed to the Sindh government to come to the help of the people of Punjab and thanked Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah for sharing with other provinces the medical equipment received from China.

Mr Murtaza rejected the relief package announced by the federal government and termed it an eyewash. He said no family could live on Rs3,000 per month stipend and demanded raising the amount to at least Rs18,000 per month or Rs600 daily.

He also demanded that the authorities concerned share with the opposition the parameters adopted to select three million deserving families.

Published in Dawn, March 27th, 2020