THIS is with reference to Mr Irfan Husain’s column, ‘The pain & the gain’ (April 4). Though Mr. Husain calls himself a “news junkie”, the contents of his column suggest he is grossly out of touch with what is going on in Pakistan.

He mentions the bailout packages announced by US President Donald and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson for their respective countries to offset the crippling effects of coronavirus on their economies. About Pakistan he says: “In Pakistan we don’t have the resources to make these substantial pay-offs.” Ignorance is bliss. How true in this case.

For the information of “news junkie” Husain, and the likes of him, PM Imran Khan announced on March 24 a Rs 1.13 trillion rescue and stimulus package for Pakistan, the biggest ever relief plan in the country’s history. The report appeared in Dawn as a lead story. The highlights of the package are: Rs 200 billion allocated to the labour force; Rs 150 billion earmarked to support the vulnerable families; monthly stipend for poor families increased from Rs 2, 000 to Rs 3, 000.

These and several other measures “aimed at supporting various sectors of society and the economy in absorbing the adverse impact of coronavirus pandemic” have already been announced by PM Imran Khan. There are several other welfare programmes launched much earlier like Ehsas and Health Card. They are specifically designed to help the poor. But they are exclusive of the relief and rescue package. Hope this updates Mr. Husain’s knowledge about Pakistan.

Hasin Ahmed
Karachi

Published in Dawn, April 10th, 2020