(Karachi) Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed has said that the government has approved the deployment of the Pakistan Army in provinces and federal territories to enforce COVID-19 SOPs, local media reported on Sunday.

In a video message, Sheikh Rashid said as per the notification Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Kashmir, and Islamabad will avail the services of the Pakistan Army for implementation of Covid-19 SOPs "as per their need". He said Sindh had not opted to be part of the measure for now.

However, he stated that a decision on military deployment in Sindh will be taken after consultation with the provincial government. The minister maintained that the personnel of the Pakistan Army would enforce strict COVID-19 SOPs along with civil administration.

He said that the military has been given the task to enforce COVID SOPs in the wake of the worsening COVID-19 situation in India, where over 300,000 cases have been reported daily.

Earlier, Prime Minister Imran Khan has called on the army to assist the police and civil administration in implementing COVID-19 SOPs.

Imran Khan warned that a complete lockdown will be imposed in the country if the coronavirus situation does not improve.

He said that despite the drastic rise in coronavirus cases, the government is not implementing a complete lockdown across the country as it will affect the working class and business community. He urged people to follow coronavirus SOPs to avoid imposing full restrictions.

The premier said that if a lockdown is imposed, the working class will suffer the most. He said if precautions are not taken, the situation will worsen.