PDM to be responsible if govt compelled to go for complete lockdown: PM

 Prime Minister Imran Khan Sunday said the PDM would be responsible for consequences if they continued with their public gatherings despite COVID-19 spike, and the government was forced to go for a lockdown.

“In (Pakistan), the PDM by continuing with jalsas (public gatherings) is deliberately endangering lives & livelihoods (because) if cases continue to rise at the rate we are seeing, we will be compelled to go into complete lockdown & PDM will be responsible for consequences,” the prime minister said on Twitter.

He said Pakistan’s second COVID-19 spike data was of concern showing 200 percent each increase of patients on ventilators in Peshawar and Multan during last 15 days, Karachi 148%, Lahore 114%, Islamabad 65%.  The capacity of ventilators utilization had touched 70 percent in Multan and Islamabad, he added.

The prime minister said across the world there was a second spike and complete lockdowns in most countries.  “I do not want to take measures like a lockdown that will start hurting our economy which at the moment is showing signs of a robust recovery,” he remarked.
However, he said the opposition was callously destroying people’s lives and livelihoods in their desperation to get an NRO.

“Let me make it clear: they can hold a million jalsas but will not get any NRO,” he categorically said. He viewed that unfortunately, the opposition’s only goal was NRO at whatever cost to the lives of people and the country’s economy.