LAHORE: The opposition parties have alleged that the government is concealing actual number of Covid-19 patients, and expressed concern over, what they call, the delayed official response to the virus outbreak.

A multi-party conference, hosted by the PPP through video link here on Wednesday, alleged that the government was concealing the number of people infected with the coronavirus, as it has barred laboratories conducting the tests from making their data public.

Attended by Rana Sanaullah (PML-N), Kamil Ali Agha (PML-Q), Farooq Tariq (Left Front), Javed Kasuri (Jamaat-i-Islami), Manzur Khan (National Party), Dr Ateeq (Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl), Ammar Rashid (Awami Workers Party), Jawad Ahmed (Barabri Party Pakistan), Qamar Zaman Kaira, Chaudhry Manzoor and Hassan Murtaza (PPP).

The opposition leaders decided that such conferences would be regularly held and the N-League would host the next session.

Suggests restoration of local bodies or use of official manpower to distribute relief goods

The participants, through a joint declaration, expressed concern over the low ratio of tests with those conducted so far showing a rising trend of the infection. They castigated the government for not devising a formal mechanism yet for the delivery of relief goods to the deserving while the lockdown had entered its ninth consecutive day.

Doubting the official data, the opposition parties demanded the government form a parliamentary committee for daily briefing on the developing situation, and urged the Punjab Assembly speaker to take the step if the treasury failed to do so.

Regretting that the official response to the pandemic was slow, they suggested the authorities restore the local bodies or at least utilise the official human resource such as lady health visitors and polio workers for delivering relief goods to the deserving families.

They said that if the workers could administer polio drops to the entire country within three days, they could easily and swiftly distribute relief goods to those in need.

The opposition demanded increasing the relief amount per family to at least Rs20,000 per month and urged the federal government to transfer the promised funds to the provinces at the earliest.

The participants wondered that despite the passage of 75 days since the coronavirus outbreak, the government could not yet provide personal protective equipment (PPE) to doctors and paramedics fighting the virus on the front line. They demanded supply of 100,000 PPEs immediately to the medical staff.

They also demanded reduction in the oil prices commensurate with the fall in prices in the global market, waiving off of utility bills for those whose electricity bill is up to Rs5,000 per month, gas Rs2,000 and water Rs1,000 per month.

They also sought subsidies for the agriculture sector and reducing interest rate on bank loans down to seven per cent to kickstart economic activity in the wake of a recession because of the lockdown worldwide.

Blaming Prime Minister Imran Khan for allegedly dividing the nation through setting up of the Tiger Force for delivery of relief goods, the multiparty conference demanded the premier donate at least 10 per cent of his assets to the coronavirus relief fund to set an example for others.

They also called for addressing reservations of the Tableeghi Jamaat regarding suspending their preaching activities for the time being and also appealed to the leaders of the group to cooperate with the authorities in the larger interest of the people.

Published in Dawn, April 2nd, 2020