Roundup: Pakistan seeks internal consensus, Chinese experts' help to combat COVID-19

APD NEWS

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The Pakistani government has appealed to the nation including politicians to set aside differences and will seek help of Chinese experts to fight against the COVID-19 outbreak.

Pakistani President Arif Alvi tweeted on Thursday that all Pakistani people must rise to meet the challenge of COVID-19 in the country. "Forget all differences and start helping the people."

He said that in this war against COVID-19, "everything else is secondary because this has to be fought by every family in every home. Ensure your personal safety and then help others."

Alvi has urged all politicians to set aside their differences, religious scholars to use their vast human resources and goodwill to spread message of care, media houses to give more time, and all chief ministers of the provinces to ensure administration efficiency.

Meanwhile, a major opposition party in Pakistan on Thursday announced to support the government in its anti-epidemic efforts.

Bilawal Bhutto, chairman of the opposition Pakistan Peoples Party said his party has set aside political opposition to the government in the wake of the pandemic.

"There is a need for coordination between the federal and provincial governments. I strongly recommend an all of government approach," Bhutto told a news conference in Lahore, the capital of east Punjab province.

"My party is ready for a consensus building. This is not the time for point scoring or blame game but we all should unite to combat the epidemic," he said, adding that it is the time to fight against COVID-19.

According to data released on the website of the Health Ministry of Pakistan on Friday, the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country has surpassed 400. And Pakistan confirmed the first two deaths from the coronavirus on Wednesday.

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Zafar Mirza told a press briefing on Thursday that Pakistan will seek help of Chinese experts for controlling the spread of COVID-19 in the country.

Pakistan and China already had discussions on health during Alvi's recent visit to China, Mirza said, adding that one of the primary motives of the president's visit was to understand the ways to prevent the spread of the coronavirus back home.

He said the Chinese ambassador to Pakistan will help Pakistan interact with Chinese experts on infectious diseases via video link to seek their help in tackling the disease.

Aisha Farooqui, the spokesperson of Pakistani Foreign Office, told a weekly briefing on Thursday that Pakistan and China have always stood by each other particularly in challenging times, and during the president's visit, letters of exchange were signed between the two countries, which are aimed at building capacity and addressing the challenges posed by COVID-19 in Pakistan.

The disease outbreak will not affect the pace of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the multi-billion-dollar economic cooperation between the two countries, she said, adding that CPEC comprises long-term projects whose completion, in many cases, is spread over years.

"We are quite confident that we will be able to complete CPEC projects in time and, going forward, the short-term impact by the spread of COVID-19 will be counterbalanced by effective and swift mobilization of resources for timely completion of CPEC," Farooqui said.