Pakistan stands with China to overcome coronavirus epidemic

Islamabad: Pakistan has said it stood with China in the hour of need and was confident that the ‘Iron Brother’ will overcome the coronavirus epidemic.

Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said Islamabad was in regular contact with Beijing over the issue. He said China had the resources to defeat the coronavirus epidemic, China Economic Net reported.

“We are with China and they are with us. We are friends in all circumstances,” he said.

Earlier, Prime Minister Imran Khan directed preventive measures in the wake of possible coronavirus epidemic in Pakistan.

The Prime Minister’s Office issued a special letter to the concerned ministries in which they have been asked to devise a coordinated strategy to deal with the threat of the coronavirus. The letter also directed to convene a high level 15-member inter-ministerial committee meeting.

According to the letter, there have been 2,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the world so far. “Given the large number of Chinese people in Pakistan and the absence of timely security measures in view of travelling between the two countries, the possibility of coronavirus outbreak in Pakistan cannot be termed impossible”, read letter.

“Therefore, a comprehensive strategy should be formulated, and recommendations should be submitted to the Prime Minister’s Office within a week,” it added.

The inter-ministerial committee includes Foreign Secretary, Interior and Aviation officials in addition to others.

Foreign Minister Qureshi said that Pakistan was safe from the coronavirus and Islamabad was in touch with the Chinese authorities on the issue.

He said there were around 500 registered Pakistani students in the Wuhan city, while the number of non-registered students was between 500 and 800.

“China has banned movement in Corona affected areas. Until now, according to our reports, no Pakistani has been infected with the virus. We have asked two officers to register non-registered students and also have their numbers posted on the embassy’s website (in Beijing),” he said.

The FM said the Pakistani students may contact the embassy for registration or to obtain any information. “We are in constant contact with our Embassy in China, the Chinese Foreign Ministry in Beijing and China posted in Pakistan. We have also approached the Chinese Foreign Ministry in Beijing on a complaint of food shortage,” he added.

Sindh Health Minister Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho also issued a health advisory to government hospital amid the rise of deadly coronavirus. She expressed that the World Health Organization (WHO) alerted the province of dangerous virus.

Dr Pechuho expressed that WHO has advised the victims to wear masks and refrain from touching others. She further said that the virus can be spread through animals. Coronavirus makes breathing difficult for affectee.

The number of individuals suspected to have contracted the deadly coronavirus has risen to five in Pakistan, with three of them admitted to the Services Hospital in Lahore, and two of them admitted to the Nishtar Hospital in Multan. According to latest updates, one of the two patients at the Nishtar Hospital is a Pakistani.

The three persons admitted to the Services Hospital are Chinese, hailing from Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, and their relevant samples have been sent to a laboratory in Hong Kong for confirmation if the patients contract coronavirus or not before their treatment could be started. All suspected patients are kept in isolation and intensive care to keep the possible spread of the virus.