PPP politicising vaccine deployment: Asad Umar

Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar alleged on Monday that the PPP’s Sindh government was politicising the coronavirus vaccine deployment despite not having a “single dose” of the vaccine.

Umar was addressing a PTI workers’ convention in Shikarpur on development projects in the area when he made the remarks.

The federal minister said the Sindh government was “lying” in press conferences about its procurement and delivery of vaccines because “they don’t have a single vaccine [dose]”, adding that the PPP should be “ashamed” for politicising an “issue pertaining to people’s health”.

He said the federal government was providing all the vaccine doses for the inoculation campaign and the Sindh government would be “standing in lines for the vaccine [saying] that the federal government should give it”.

“Tell them [Sindh government] not to worry, we will give them the vaccines because the people of Sindh are as precious to us as people of other areas and Sindh is ours just like the rest of Pakistan is ours.”

He additionally said that the people of Sindh in Shikarpur, Jacobabad and Ghotki did not feel safe.

Umar said when the injustices against the people of Sindh are discussed with the Sindh government then they “remember the 18th amendment”.

He said he will request Prime Minister Imran Khan to “take responsibility” for the people of Sindh and protection of their lives and livelihood.

The minister said he would be discussing development projects later in the day with the elected representatives and leaders of the region, a report of which would be submitted to the prime minister.

He reminded the gathering that when PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari called out for lockdowns “and when Sindh Chief Minister said no one dies from hunger, the prime minister knew what poverty could do and the Centre announced the biggest welfare project for the help of the people in Pakistan’s history”.

Umar said in just two months after the onset of corona, Rs200 billion were distributed among the people of Pakistan, out of which Rs65bn were spent on the people of Sindh.

The federal minister’s remarks criticising the Sindh government come after he expressed similar criticism the previous day at a gathering in Karachi, where he accused the Sindh government of not owning the metropolis.

“If the one who enjoys all powers doesn’t work here in Karachi then someone has to do it,” said Umar.

“But we see when the federal government comes up with a plan for development of Karachi, hurdles are created. It’s all because of the flawed system of the local government and it must come to an end,” he said.

Pakistan’s vaccine deployment

Pakistan’s vaccination campaign geared up to be underway as the first batch of Covid-19 vaccines arrived in Pakistan from China on Monday via a special Pakistan Air Force (PAF) aircraft.

The batch contained 500,000 doses of the Sinopharm vaccine that has been gifted by China. Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health (SAPM) Dr Faisal Sultan announced the development in a tweet and expressed his gratitude to the Chinese government and “everyone who made this happen”.

“NCOC and provinces played an instrumental role in tackling Covid. I salute our frontline healthcare workers for their efforts and they’ll be first to get vaccinated.”