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Ruling party flays PPP

leader for ‘endangering

people’s lives’ by insisting

on addressing next rally

whilst in quarantine

Internews

Karachi

B

ilawal Bhutto-Zardari,

chairman of the oppo-

sition Pakistan People’s

Party (PPP), yesterday tested

positive for coronavirus.

Bilawal said he was self-

isolating after testing positive

for Covid-19 but that he would

address the forthcoming op-

position rally in Multan via

video link.

His diagnosis comes just a

day before the engagement of

his sister, Bakhtawar Bhut-

to-Zardari, to a Dubai-based

businessman and four days

before the Pakistan Demo-

cratic Movement’s (PDM) next

rally in Multan scheduled for

November 30, which is also

PPP’s Foundation Day.

Thirty-year-old Bakhtawar

was the world’s first baby born

to a sitting chief executive, her

late mother and former prime

minister Benazir Bhutto, dur-

ing the latter’s first term in of-

fice, in 1990.

Taking to the social media

micro-blogging site Twitter,

Bilawal said he was currently

experiencing mild symptoms.

“I’ll continue working from

home and will be addressing

PPP foundation day via video

link. Wear a mask everyone,

see you on the other side.”

The development drew sup-

port from within the party

ranks but also vindication

from critics who saw the irony

in the PPP chairman endan-

gering the lives of the people

while confining himself to iso-

lation.

“You are putting their lives

in danger. Take care of others

as well as yourself. These ral-

lies have no pros, only cons,”

tweeted ruling Pakistan Te-

hreek-i-Insaf Senator Faisal

Javed Khan.

The government and oppo-

sition have been at odds over

the holding of public rallies at

a time when Pakistan is in the

throes of a second, more dead-

ly, coronavirus wave.

Federal Information Minis-

ter Shibli Faraz offered prayers

for the PPP chairman and all

those suffering from the dis-

ease, but advised a rethink for

the sake of people’s safety.

“Following precaution-

ary measures is important for

staying safe. Corona(virus)

does not differentiate between

leaders and the public,” he

tweeted.

Bilawal has tested positive

days after the 11-party oppo-

sition alliance defied a lack of

permission from the govern-

ment and a court order to stage

a rally in Peshawar.

Guests invited at his sis-

ter’s engagement ceremony in

Karachi today are required to

send a scan of Covid-negative

report 24 hours prior to the

much anticipated event to be

able to attend.

NO SHOW: Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari (left) with his sister Bakhtawar

Bhutto-Zardari. (File photo)

Bilawal contracts Covid-19, won’t

attend sister’s engagement today

Volunteers throng fi nal

trials for Chinese vaccine

AFP

Islamabad

T

housands of volunteers

are fl ocking to research

hospitals across Pakistan

to join fi nal-stage clinical trials

of a Chinese-made vaccine for

the coronavirus.

It is the fi rst time Pakistan

has participated in such a trial,

which comes amid a string of

positive vaccine announcements

by Western pharmaceutical

companies this month.

The vaccine is being devel-

oped by CanSinoBio and the

Beijing Institute of Biotechnol-

ogy China.

“I have volunteered myself for

a noble cause that will help hu-

manity,” said a volunteer at Is-

lamabad’s Shifa hospital, where

hundreds of participants are be-

ing paid about $50 for venturing.

Others should “step forward

and take part in this noble cause

which will save lives,” he added.

For years, China has focused

much of its attention in Paki-

stan on mammoth development

projects, bankrolling the con-

struction of roads, power plants

and a strategic port.

Beijing has now tapped one of

its closest allies to participate in

the vaccine trials, despite Paki-

stan’s chequered history with

inoculation campaigns.

“We hope to have some fi nd-

ings ready about the accuracy

and effi cacy of the vaccine in two

to three months,” Ejaz Ahmad

Khan, the principal researcher

overseeing the trial in Pakistan,

told AFP.

Offi cials said Pakistan has al-

ready inoculated about 7,000 of

the 10,000 participants expect-

ed to receive a jab.

The trials come with in-

tensive care wards across the

country nearing capacity as a

second, deadlier wave of the

coronavirus spreads and offi -

cials struggle to counter public

indiff erence to the pandemic.

The country has confi rmed

more than 382,000 cases in-

cluding over 7,800 deaths since

the virus arrived in late February.

Less than a year after the

coronavirus that has claimed

1.4 million lives began spread-

ing across the globe, a number of

highly promising Covid-19 vac-

cines are on the cusp of release.

Four separate drug makers

have recently announced that

their vaccines are eff ective for

most people.

Due to lingering suspicions over

vaccines, Pakistan is one of just two

countries where polio continues to

spread, sparking fears that a new

drive to inoculate the population

against the coronavirus will fail.

The Chinese vaccine is also un-

dergoing phase 3 trials – or large-

scale testing on humans – in sev-

eral other nations including China,

Russia, Chile, Argentina and Saudi

Arabia.

A volunteer reads an information leaflet while waiting to be administered the new Chinese-made vaccine for the Covid-19 coronavirus, the first

ever Phase 3 clinical trial for any vaccine in Pakistan, at a hospital in Islamabad. (AFP)

PM urges nation

to follow SOPs

Prime Minister Imran Khan yesterday appealed the nation to

strictly adhere to Standard Operating Procedures and precau-

tionary measures to prevent spread of Covid-19 pandemic.

Talking to media, he said pressure on hospitals as well as on

Pakistan’s economy will mount if SOPs are not followed in letter

and spirit.

He said with the blessing of Almighty Allah, the nation not only

successfully overcame economic problems, but also contained

spread of the coronavirus during the first wave of the pandemic.

He said all this happened due to the complete support from the

people, especially, ulema. He said Pakistan was the only Muslim

country in the world, which did not close its mosques as ulema

played a pivotal role in observing SOPs in mosques.

He urged people to make it mandatory for themselves to wear

face mask, which is the easiest way to prevent spread of coro-

navirus.

The PM said the government has decided not to close factories

and other sources of earning in order to save people’s lives from

Covid-19 and the hunger.

He said today Faisalabad’s textile industry is running with full

capacity and contributing in enhancing Pakistan’s exports.

Answering a question, he said we have postponed our public

rallies to avoid spread of the contagion.

He said the government will not allow anyone, including the op-

position, to endanger people’s lives by holding public rallies. He

said they should refrain from jeopardising people’s lives.

12

Friday, November 27, 2020

PAKISTAN

A health off icial collects a swab sample from a man to

test for the Covid-19 coronavirus inside a van along the

roadside in Islamabad yesterday. Intensive care units

across Pakistan are nearing capacity as a second, deadlier

wave of the coronavirus builds momentum and off icials

struggle to counter public indiff erence to the pandemic.

(AFP)

Schools shut to curb infections

Reuters

Islamabad

P

akistan shut its schools

and postponed exams

yesterday to try to curb

new coronavirus infections and

a rise in the number of people

in hospital with Covid-19.

Students, including those at

higher educational institutions

as well as in private schools, are

expected to continue classes

through distance learning until

December 24, when schools are

scheduled to go on winter break

until January 11.

“All eff orts will be made to

make sure that education con-

tinues from home,” Education

Minister Shafqat Mahmood

said on Monday, announcing

the closure of schools, adding

that “if the situation improves”

schools would reopen on Janu-

ary 11.

Pakistan reported 3,

new cases on Wednesday, and

40 deaths from the pandemic,

with 2,485 patients currently

admitted in hospitals, accord-

ing to offi cials. There have

been 386,198 total cases in the

country recorded so far, and

7,843 deaths.

The decision to close

schools, offi cials have said,

was based on an increase in the

rate of positive test results in

the country. The rate of peo-

ple testing positive in June was

as high as 23%, but dropped

to a low of 1.7% by September.

It has since begun to increase

again, reaching 7.41% this

week.

More than 19% of new cases

were from educational institu-

tions, where the rate of positive

results had nearly doubled in

one week to reach 3.3%, offi -

cials said on Monday.

The south Asian country has

ruled out a wide ranging lock-

down, opting to close down

non-essential public gatherings

in a bid to keep the economy

afl oat through the pandemic.

“We do not know what this

winter is going to be like, so

there is a bit of worry right now

because our cases are rising up

quite rapidly these days,” Prime

Minister Imran Khan told an

event organised by the World

Economic Forum on Wednes-

day.

“We are going to only lock

down the non-essential, in oth-

er words the public gatherings

and so on where our economy

doesn’t get hurt.”

Pakistan closed educational

institutions between March

and September to combat the

spread of the virus. State tel-

evision and radio stations were

used to broadcast lessons for

students at home for students

in government schools.

The Multan Administration

yesterday denied permission

to Pakistan Democratic

Movement (PDM) for a public

gathering in the city scheduled

for November 30.

The Deputy Commissioner

Multan Amir Khattak refused

permission on a request

submitted by Pakistan

People’s Party (PPP) leader

Natasha Daultana citing spike

in Covid-19 cases across the

country.

As per the Punjab government

directives, public gatherings

of more than 300 guests is

banned in the province until

January 31 next year.

“The permission for the public

meeting will be a violation

of the standard operating

procedures (SOPs) to tackle

the coronavirus pandemic,” the

DC responded to the request.

The PDM has vowed to hold a

massive power show in Multan

on November 30.

PDM request for

rally rejected

Islamabad hosts

fi rst meeting of

Saarc planning

ministers

Internews

Islamabad

P

akistan hosted the Inau-

gural Meeting of South

Asian Association for

Regional Cooperation (Saarc)

Planning Ministers yesterday

on the theme: ‘Shaping the

Saarc Vision 2030’ in virtual

mode.

All Member States and

the Saarc Secretary Gener-

al, Esala Ruwan Weerakoon

participated in the Meeting

with Planning Minister Asad

Umar in the chair.

The meeting discussed

national SDGs approaches,

impact of Covid-19 on eco-

nomic growth in the South

Asian region and a strategy

for collective action for de-

velopment financing in the

wake of pandemic.

Addressing the meet-

ing Planning Minister Asad

Umer briefed the Member

States about Pakistan’s na-

tional SDGs policy and said

the political ownership for

SDGs is manifested at the

highest level as Pakistan was

one of the first countries to

adopt SDGs as National De-

velopment Agenda through

a unanimous parliamentary

resolution.

He also highlighted Paki-

stan’s success in devising a

co-ordinated approach taken

by Government of Pakistan

towards its social protection

and environment conserva-

tion initiatives such as the 10

Billion Tree Tsunami.

He noted that Pakistan con-

tinues to extend its uncondi-

tional support to strength-

ening co-ordination and

co-operation to all the Saarc

Member States for the greater

benefi ts of vulnerable groups

within the region.

He expressed hope that

this initiative by Pakistan,

and the meeting report

adopted by all member states

with consensus, will go a

long way in devising a co-

ordinated strategy towards

achieving SDGs in the region,

especially in the post-Covid

environment.

The Saarc Planning Min-

isters and Secretaries virtual

meetings were a reaffi rmation

of Pakistan’s commitment to

the Saarc process and its ef-

forts to forge closer co-oper-

ation among member states.

Pakistan and Denmark yesterday agreed to explore new avenues

of cooperation in green technologies by establishing “Green

Partnership”. This was agreed during the second session of

bilateral political consultations between Pakistan and Denmark,

according to a statement of the Foreign Off ice.

Pakistan was led by Special Secretary (Europe), Dr Aman Rashid

while Under Secretary for Foreign Aff airs at the Ministry of

Foreign Aff airs of Denmark Christina Markus Lassen led the

Danish side.

“The two sides took stock of the whole range of bilateral

relations, including political economic, trade, investment,

renewable energy, green technology and education,” it stated,

adding the two sides discussed bilateral trade and investment

relations and agreed to explore new avenues of cooperation in

green technologies by establishing “Green Partnership”.

In the context of EU, it added that Pakistan side thanked Denmark

for its support in securing renewal of GSP Plus status for Pakistan

with the European Union.

Agreement signed with Denmark

for ‘Green Partnership’

Forging ahead with its growth
streak in world and regional
rankings, the National
University of Sciences and
Technology (NUST) has been
ranked at No 76 among Asian
universities, in the Quacquarelli
Symonds (QS) Asia University
Rankings 2021 announced
the other day, taking a leap
of 7 positions from its last
year’s ranking of No 83. The
new ranking has placed NUST
amongst the top 12% Asian
universities for the year 2021.
With this meritorious
achievement, NUST has not only
maintained its upward trajectory
in Asia by improving 36
positions in the last 5 years but
also retained its No. 1 position
among Pakistani universities
for the 4th consecutive year.
This is the second time in a row
that NUST has stood as the only
Pakistani university in Top 100
Asian universities..

NUST ranked

76th amongst

Asian varsities