Pakistan has agreed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s proposal to hold a meeting of the SAARC nations via video conferencing to discuss means to tackle the novel coronavirus pandemic that has killed over 5,000 people across the world.
Hours after Sri Lanka, Bhutan and other nations agreed to PM Modi’s proposal, Pakistan also responded late at night to the appeal and said they will be available for talks.
In a tweet, the Foreign Ministry of Pakistan said, The threat of #COVID-19 requires coordinated efforts at global and regional level. We have communicated that SAPM on Health will be available to participate in the video conference of #SAARC member countries on the issue.
PM Modi on Friday proposed to convene a video conference of the South Asian Association Regional Cooperation (SAARC) nations to discuss how to tackle the deadly coronavirus pandemic. Now, Islamabad has given a nod to the proposal.
In a series of tweets, Modi said, “Our planet is battling the Covid-19 Novel Coronavirus. At various levels, governments and people are trying their best to combat it. South Asia, which is home to a significant number of the global population should leave no stone unturned to ensure our people are healthy.”
“I would like to propose that the leadership of SAARC nations chalk out a strong strategy to fight Coronavirus. We could discuss, via video conferencing, ways to keep our citizens healthy. Together, we can set an example to the world, and contribute to a healthier planet,” he said in another tweet.
Later Pakistan Foreign Office Spokesperson Aisha Farooqui said in a tweet, “We have communicated that SAPM (Special Assistant to Pakistani Prime Minister) on Health (Zafar Mirza) will be available to participate in the video conference of SAARC member countries on the issue.”
In Pakistan, the number of confirmed cases of coronavirus has been consistently increasing over the past few weeks. At least 28 people have been confirmed as infected while about one million people have already been screened.
The alarming increase of number of confirmed cases has prompted the federal and the provincial government to huddle up and discuss the issue at the highest of levels.
Prime Minister Imran Khan convened a high-level meeting of the National Security Committee (NSC) and took a series of decisions to be implied immediately.
All educational institutions across the country will remain closed till April 5, 2020 while the borders with Iran and Afghanistan will be shut from March 16 for at least two weeks.
The Karatarpur Sahib will also be closed for all Pakistani nationals. However, Darbar Sahib Kartarpur will remain open for Indian nationals coming through the corridor.
The decisions hold major importance as they are aimed at blocking the spread of the coronavirus outbreak and take precautionary measures to keep citizens safe from getting infected.
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