–Imran collects Rs550m during Ehsaas Telethon to provide relief to coronavirus afectees

–Says next three to four weeks will be critical, warns clerics against violating SOPs set for mosque congregations

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday said that instead of putting the country in an indefinite lockdown, the government would impose a ‘smart lockdown’ to provide relief to labour class, daily wagers and lower-middle strata of society.

He said this during the Ehsaas Telethon which was simultaneously telecast across all news channels for raising funds to fight the COVID-19 outbreak. The telethon was held at the Prime Minister’s House with journalists Mohammad Malick, Hamid Mir, Nadeem Malik, Kashif Abbasi and Mansoor Ali Khan participating. Muniba Mazari and Shiffa Yousafzai hosted the transmission. At the end of the programme it was revealed that the government had collected Rs550 million from the transmission, taking the balance in the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund for COVID-19 to Rs2,765,980,593.

The prime minister said that imposition of ‘balanced and smart lockdown’ on the pattern of western countries would be an effective and viable option under prevailing situation in the country.

He said that lockdown in India and Singapore badly affected the poor people, and now countries like the United States, are also thinking of imposing ‘smart lockdown’.

He also said that entire world is struggling against coronavirus pandemic and lockdowns have adversely affected the world economy, resulting in growing poverty across the globe, especially in developing countries like Pakistan.

He cited the example of the US where more than 40,000 people have died yet the government is considering moving towards reopening shops and businesses. “No one knows for how long this [coronavirus situation] will last,” he said, adding that the Prime Minister’s Coronavirus Relief Fund will be used to help people who were suffering till their businesses were shut.

“I spoke to US President Donald Trump. Even he is concerned with the economy collapsing, despite their resources. Everyone agrees it is unsustainable,” he said.

Speaking about the criticism he had faced due to his decision to refrain from ordering a complete lockdown, the prime minister said that previous decisions were made keeping in mind the country’s elite.

He urged critics to go to impoverished areas of the country and in katchi abadis to see for themselves the living conditions of people. “If this [coronavirus] spreads in slums, it will not stay there. It will spread to defence [and other posh areas],” he said.

The prime minister said that it was his wish that the interest rate was further lowered so that the business community and Pakistanis will be able to benefit from it. He said that every crisis was an opportunity.

“I gave a tremendous package to the construction sector. This is an opportunity as we were not able to do this in the past. If our construction sector gets going, then 40 other industries related to it will also progress,” he added.

In response to a question, PM Imran said that Pakistan had only been included among the 70 nations of the world that were provided debt relief. “We have not gotten any relief as of yet. Further negotiations will be held in future,” he said.

He said that no single government can battle the pandemic. “The entire nation needs to join hands to fight this virus, keeping in mind the times that are ahead,” he said.

“The virus spreads at a very fast rate. There have been viruses and people have been infected with the flu before. But this is unprecedented,” he added.

He said that the government had prepared a comprehensive roadmap for Ramzan by taking all religious scholars onboard. He, however, warned that the government will come into action if any one resorts to violate the 20-point standard operating procedures (SoPs) to prevent spread of the virus during the holy month.

The prime minister warned that the next three to four weeks can be critical for Pakistan in terms of coronavirus infections and deaths.

He said that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government announced a historic relief package for poor families to reduce their miseries amid the lockdown.

Terming the Ehsaas Cash Emergency Programme as transparent and merit-based, he said that cash assistance worth Rs12,000 is being distributed among 5.437 million beneficiaries across the country. He added that the government had allocated Rs144 billion for poor segments of society under Ehsaas Cash Emergency Programme.

“The most amount of cash distributed has been in Sindh, where our party is not in power,” he said, adding that this was reflective of the programme’s transparency.

Responding to the press conference doctors held a day earlier, the premier said that their concerns were valid but a lockdown could not be sustained in the long-term.

“We are a responsible nation. Should the public not behave responsibility? When I am asking people to pray at home, I am not asking it for myself. It is understood that if you go to mosques to pray, there is a risk [of getting the infection],” he said.

In response to a question about whether he planned to join hands with the opposition to collect funds for the coronavirus, PM Imran responded cheekily by saying, “I am afraid if I include them in this [coronavirus fund drive] the donations will drop.”

The prime minister said that it was only possible to work with his political rivals only if they brought back billions of rupees from abroad to Pakistan.

In response to another question, he said that followers of all political parties should join hands with the government during the crisis.

Renowned religious scholar Maulana Tariq Jameel also joined the transmission towards the end to conclude it with a prayer. In his dua, he asked God to forgive mankind’s sins and help humans vanquish the pandemic.