LAHORE: PPP Punjab chapter President Qamar Zaman Kaira has alleged that the confused strategy of the prime minister has worsened the coronavirus crisis.

In a statement issued after a meeting of the divisional and district office-bearers of the party held through video link on Tuesday, Mr Kaira was stated as saying that the premier’s confused strategy had made the coronavirus crisis graver, as a delay in imposing a lockdown and introducing precautionary measures provided space for the virus to spread speedily.

He said Punjab was much behind in testing the suspected cases of Covid-19, while the virus was spreading fast in the province.

He further said doctors and paramedics, fighting on the front line against the virus, were in danger and must be provided with face masks and other protective gear to save their lives.

Mr Kaira added that the PPP demanded the federal government immediately distribute cash among the deserving people through the Benazir Income Support Programme [database].

Chaudhry Manzoor, who along with Hassan Murtaza, Aslam Gill, Azizur Rehman Chan and others attended the meeting, lamented that the prime minister had adopted a negative attitude like US President Trump and UK’s premier Boris Jonson, as Imran Khan talked “irresponsibly”, leading people to take the pandemic lightly.

Published in Dawn, April 8th, 2020