LAHORE: Governor Chaudhry Sarwar and Special Assistant to the Chief Minister on Information Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan on Saturday hosted a luncheon at the Governor House for the destitute and helpless children living at the Child Protection and Welfare Bureau, in connection with the ‘Shan-i-Rehmatul Lil Alameen’ week.

Mr Sarwar and Dr Awan distributed gift hampers among the children as well as played cricket with them.

Speaking to the media, Governor Sarwar said the opposition should refrain from playing with the lives of the people by holding rallies. The opposition rallies could lead the country to a coronavirus situation similar to that in the US. He said the government was not holding rallies and large gatherings because of the pandemic.

The governor regretted that it had become a norm for the opposition to give priority to political and personal interests before any issue.

Dr Awan said coronavirus was a reality that was affecting human health everywhere. Precautionary measures were being taken all over the world to protect and prevent people from the virus. She said the government had already issued a plan at the National Command Operation Centre meeting to deal with the situation, adding that all the provincial governments were bound to strictly implement the coronavirus standard operating procedures (SOPs).

She said the opposition was doing politics only for face-saving despite the fact that the second wave of the virus was lethal. “Your life is more important than politics. If life lasts, so will politics,” she stressed.

She stated that implementation on the SOPs would not be possible in public gatherings of the opposition. “If people’s lives will be at stake, the government will take strict legal action,” she asserted.

Published in Dawn, November 22nd, 2020