ISLAMABAD: The federal cabinet on Tuesday decided to deploy Rangers in Lahore, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Jehlum, and Bahawalpur to maintain law and order situation.

Minister for Science and Technology Faward Chaudhary, while briefing media persons, said government wanted the prevailing law and order situation to resolve in a peaceful manner.

Fawad Chaudhry said that any group could present its demands before the state, but the state could not allow any group to make decisions on its behalf. "We can hold talks on demands, however, issuing directives to a government is not acceptable in any manner,” he said, adding that the protest had disrupted oxygen supply at health facilities treating COVID-19 patients.

He said the situation would become “precarious” if Covid-19 was not controlled in the next two weeks.

The minister said that pandemic was fast spreading in Sindh and Baluchistan and the rise in the number of critical patients was very dangerous.

The minister said that the SOPs have to be enforced strictly.

He said that the Minister for Planning, Development and Reforms, Asad Umar, updated the meeting about the latest situation of coronavirus in the country. The minister said that a committee has been formed on the import of corona vaccine.

He said the criticality of the situation could be guessed from the fact that “during the previous two waves of the number of critical cases was 3,400 and now it is 4,200.

He said the digitalization of federal cabinet has been completed and now the members would be shared document through digital gadgets, which would result in a Rs55 million saving.

The minister claimed that the sugar and wheat flour prices are now coming down.

He said that work on central business district would be started in 18 months. The minister said that the federal cabinet also approved a proposal to reduce the port charges and allowed establishment of registration authority to register agro and non-agro products for exports such as mangoes and precious stones. It also gave approval for the appointment of the chairperson of National Commission on the Status of Women.

Speaking about the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), Fawad Chaudhry said “the politics of resignations has been buried and the opposition’s narrative to send the government packing has been ruined completely”.

He further said: “since the PDM no longer exists the government is ready to hold talks separately with PPP, PML-N, and JUI-F on electoral reforms”.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021