World can beat coronavirus together: Bilawal Bhutto

Karachi: Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has emphasised that only through mutual international cooperation can the COVID19 pandemic be overcome and defeated.

In his Interview with the Sky News on the COVID19 pandemic, the PPP chairman said that developed countries  have a duty to help developing nations deal with the economic fallout  and medical shortages caused by this pandemic. He added that the world was in this together and humanity could not afford leaving anyone behind. 

Lamenting the worlds shift from multilateralism, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari went on to condemn the sanctions on Iran, claiming they were putting not just the Iranian people at risk, but risking the safety and security of the entire region.  He also added that Indian Occupied Kashmir had been in lockdown for 250 days before the pandemic and the world must ensure the people of IOK are not left to the ravages of the disease. 
Those countries with resources would have to step up and distribute testing kits and medical equipment worldwide, he added. 

Talking about the situation in the country, the PPP Chairman said that Pakistan, too, has been badly affected by the outbreak. He pointed out that the health system in Pakistan  was not capable enough to withstand the full brunt of the pandemic. The only way to protect the lives of millions of Pakistanis was by enforcing a lock down and advocating and facilitating social distancing.

He added that if the health systems of countries like Italy and UK were suffering  under the deluge of COVID19 patients, then in a country like Pakistan, where we have 0.6 beds per 1000 patients, the health system would collapse. 

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said Pakistan’s opposition had offered its unconditional support to the federal government to chalk out a joint strategy to deal with the  challenges posed by COVID19. He added that it was regrettable that the federal government did not seem to working with the same urgency the provinces are.
The PPP Chairman added that the federal government was not playing an appropriate role in supporting the provincial governments increase capacity or deal with any of the challenges posed by the COVID19 pandemic.