Prime minister Imran Khan has proposed a five-point roadmap to materialize the vision of D-8, which include mobilizing financial resources to recover robustly for the economic and health crises incurred by Covid-19 pandemic.

That the third wave of Covid-19 is wrecking havoc on the country’s economy is a fact. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has also said that Pakistan may be required to dampen economic growth hopes in view of the surge in Covid-19 cases. Higher economic growth in developing countries in particular can help mitigate the adverse impacts of the pandemic. But alarming rise in Covid-19 cases is causing a setback to growth prospects. There appears to be no solution in sight as the deadly virus continues to hit people’s lives and livelihoods severely.

Zafar Mehdi (Lahore)

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021