Prime Minister Imran Khan expresses solidarity with Covid-hit India

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday expressed solidarity with the people of India, reeling from a deadly coronavirus surge.

PM Khan took to Twitter to extend his sympathies with the neighboring country where the second wave of coronavirus is running rampant after the Kumbh festival.

“I want to express our solidarity with the people of India as they battle a dangerous wave of COVID-19. Our prayers for a speedy recovery go to all those suffering from the pandemic in our neighborhood & the world.”

Khan also underscored the need for a collective approach towards the global challenge and called for the world leaders to come together to fight the pandemic.

Prior to him, Pakistani Twitter expressed sympathies with the people of India in the fight against COVID-19. Throughout Friday, hashtags like #IndiaNeedsOxygen and #PakistanStandsWithIndia ruled Twitter.

Several ministers also jumped on the bandwagon and extended their support and sympathies to neighbors reeling under the devastating second wave of the coronavirus.

Foreign Minister, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, who is in Turkey for a two-day official visit, was the first to tweet:

“We express our support to the people of India in the wake of the current wave of #COVID19 infections that has hit our region hard. On behalf of the people of Pakistan, I extend our heartfelt sympathies to the affected families in #India.”

He was joined by Information Minister, Fawad Chaudhry, and Human Rights Minister, Shireen Mazari:

Faisal Edhi's Letter to Modi

Earlier, Faisal Edhi, the chairman of Edhi Foundation and the son of late Abdul Sattar Edhi, penned a letter to Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, and offered to help the people of India to fight the Covid-19 pandemic.

In his letter, Edhi said:

“We are very sorry to hear about the exceptionally heavy impact that the pandemic has had on your country, where a tremendous number of people are suffering immensely.... we would like to extend our help in the form of a fleet of 50 ambulances along with our services to assist you in addressing, and further circumventing, the current health conditions,” the letter said.

Edhi sought permission from the Indian government to enter with the ambulances and a team, including emergency medical technicians, office staff, and drivers, and supporting staff. “We will arrange all the necessary supplies that our team needs to assist the people of India. Importantly, we are not requesting any other assistance from you, as we are providing the fuel, food, and necessary amenities that our team will require,” he said.

The Covid-19 situation in India

The second wave of coronavirus is running rampant in the country. During the last 24 hours, India reported 2,624 deaths, a new daily record, pushing the official death toll to nearly 190,000 since the pandemic started. The country also recorded 340,000 new cases were also reported, taking India's total to 16.5 million, second only to the United States.