{"id":5432,"date":"2020-04-23T19:07:53","date_gmt":"2020-04-23T19:07:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hrcp-web.org\/hrcpweb\/?p=5432"},"modified":"2021-09-30T19:08:40","modified_gmt":"2021-09-30T19:08:40","slug":"covid-19-response-marred-by-indecision","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hrcp-web.org\/hrcpweb\/covid-19-response-marred-by-indecision\/","title":{"rendered":"Covid-19 response marred by indecision"},"content":{"rendered":"

Covid-19 response marred by indecision<\/strong><\/p>\n

Islamabad, 23 April<\/em>.\u00a0With\u00a0the number of Covid-19\u00a0cases rising steadily, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) is alarmed at\u00a0the way\u00a0the federal government is handling this public health\u00a0crisis.<\/p>\n

There is an absence of clarity in the federal government\u2019s measures\u00a0\u2013 a clarity without which it cannot hope to\u00a0curb the pandemic and create space for the\u00a0country\u2019s\u00a0already fragile healthcare system. The government\u00a0in Islamabad has\u00a0sown\u00a0confusion among the population by relaying mixed messages about the lockdown and inciting its supporters in Sindh to undermine the actions taken by the provincial government.<\/p>\n

Instead of learning from the experience of more developed countries that have suffered hugely at the hands of this pandemic, the federal government remains indecisive. Worryingly, despite clear warnings from the Pakistan Medical Association, it has allowed congregations in Ramazan under pressure from certain clerics, even though this contravenes lockdown decisions in other Muslim countries. When a large part of the population across Pakistan is at risk, it is deeply disappointing to see the federal government indulge in scoring political points against a provincial government, while capitulating to the big business and religious lobbies.<\/p>\n

On behalf of Dr Mehdi Hasan
\nChairperson<\/p>\n

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