Covid-19 outbreak: APC calls for 'National Action Plan'

At an All-Parties Conference(APC) co-hosted by Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, chairman Pakistan People's Party, Mian Shehbaz Sharif, Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly, all political leaders expressed their appreciation for Shehbaz Sharif's and chairman Bilawal's initiative to formulate a national response to the coronavirus pandemic challenging the whole world, including Pakistan.
Chairman Bilawal and president PML-N Shehbaz Sharif welcomed all the political leaders to the video-conference, and after Mian Shehbaz's remarks, asked CM Sindh, Murad Ali Shah to brief the meeting about national steps needed for the fight ahead.
Those who participated included Mian Parvez Ilahi, PML-Q, Sirajul Haq, Jamaat-e-Islami, Hasil Bizenjo, National Party, Akhtar Mengal, BNP, Aftab Sherpao, QWP, Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, and Faisal Sabzwari, MQM, Mian Iftikhar, ANP, Abdul Ghafoor Haidery, JUI-F, Senator Usman Khan Kakar, PKMAP. Murad Ali Shah, Raja Parvez Ashraf, Sherry Rehman, Farhatullah Babur from the PPP and Ayaz Sadiq and Mariam Aurangzeb from the PML-N were also present.
As a first step, the APC urged urgent action against this global pandemic.
All agreed that by now the government should have called such a conference of all political parties and set in motion a comprehensive National Action Plan with all stakeholders on board. It is a matter of grave national concern, and all political leaders have pledged on their own to unite against what needs to be a war effort, but a single day's delay in taking decisions are costing valuable lives.
Messaging for public safety is crucial in changing social attitudes, and all resources, including private TV channels as well as the clergy must be nationally engaged by the federal leadership to use their pulpits for amplification of life-saving messages.
The Leadership called for a national task force as well, which should include all political parties' representatives. Immediate actions must include health sector actions, economic management and public messaging that must use all platforms for protecting the public as well as the medical workers on the frontlines of this fight. Brave doctors like Dr Usama must be appreciated with the highest civil awards, and the entire medical community be given protective gear before anything else.
The Opposition parties condemned the leadership deficit on the part of the federal government, and demanded that Crisis Management Committees be formed at all levels, from the provinces to the local bodies tiers, with all parties representation be formed immediately by the government in order to manage the ravages of this unprecedented risk to Pakistan and all humanity.
Relief efforts must use local bodies as well for outreach, while philanthropic and volunteer efforts should be streamlined.
The Conference was united and vociferous in appreciating the Sindh government's efforts and CM's proactive leadership. Sindh's charter of demands, which were endorsed by all leaders include the federal government's urgent operationalization of an effective national lockdown, because without full coverage and coordination across the country, one province cannot continue to impose effective containment measures on its own.
This means all public transport, including passenger trains must be stopped forthwith. Private transport may be allowed in case of immediate need. However, in. case the federal government cannot impose this, it must go for a full lockdown. The lockdown should be coupled with expanding capacity for testing, beds, ventilators, ICU facilities, PPE, and isolation centres to be effective.
The pooerest of the poor must be immediately protected. The following measures must be taken: BISP data and other poverty alleviation programmes to identify the most vulnerable must be used. Each household must be given Rs 15,000. Sindh has identified 40 percent of such household who would need such help. For fast-tracking such delivery, the provinces must be allowed to negotiate with foreign governments and international donor agencies directly.
Testing capacity as well as general health service capacity be immediately enhanced to identify affected patients. The government-run isolation centres are urgently needed for treating patients, and large scale-testing capacity kits and PPE for health professionals. Electricity bills up to Rs 5,000 and gas bills up to Rs 2,000 should be paid by the state, as Sindh has pledged. To promote economic activity, interest rates need to be slashed, and oil price reductions be passed to Sindh as well.
All emphasized that this should be a national approach, with no province left out of the consultative loop and suggested that PM should call meeting of Council of Common Interests on daily basis so that all the federation units are on board and no one is left behind.
All parties endorsed PML-N National Corona Strategy reconnections presented by President PML-N Shehbaz Sharif. All parties urged to restore Punjab and other Local Government that are closest to communities and play an effective role in any community related initiative.
While urging immediate lockdown to save lives, the committee advised immediate steps to give daily-wagers, small businesses and all vulnerable groups real relief, not just token announcements made too little, too late. This, they agreed, will only be made possible by making timely, coordinated policy in consultation with all provinces.
As part of the wage and ration lifeline provision to vulnerable sections of Pakistan, the Committee repeatedly emphasized that the government must do more. Relief on global oil prices must be passed on to the poor, while industries that pay daily wage earners who cannot come to work must continue to pay salaries as Sindh has legally mandated, while giving advances and other benefits in times of such distress. The BISP income support supply lines must be scaled up, while subsidies and food ration distribution must be made a priority. Industries and big employers that need a stimulus package must be given that, like the world over.
The scale of the medical emergency is huge, and can scale up exponentially in weeks, the Committee observed, and called for immediate actions to be taken to reduce dangerous gaps in testing kits, hospital beds, quarantine capacity, protective gear for health workers and ventilators. Whenever a vaccine is made available, it must be provided directly to provinces, while border quarantine facilities must be real quarantines, with hygienic testing facilities at border entry points on all sides. The Taftan quarantine experience was highly contaminating, and instead of quarantining or containing the virus, proved to be the point of real contagion for many, because they were not tested at all, and must be avoided at all costs.
All agreed that lockdowns and social distancing is critical to flattening the curve of the pandemic, but that it is not enough.
All Parties condemned the growing atmosphere of media coercion and the restrictions of freedom of speech, including NAB's arrest of Mir Shakeelur Rehman, and demanded the government's focus on solving Pakistan's urgent issues instead of political vendettas.
The meeting also urged to pay all the dues of the media on urgent basis so that they can effectively play their role as fourth pillar of the state.-PR