Prime Minister Recommends Sindh To Go For Smart Lockdown

The Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan, has recommended that the Sindh Government should not opt to impose a complete lockdown in the province. On Sunday, he said that the hungry citizens in the province cannot be forced to stay under a complete lockdown. 

According to the Prime Minister, it is not appropriate to impose a lockdown when people are hungry and do not have any food or resources. He advised the provincial government to think about imposing a smart lockdown instead. He went on to suggest that a partial lockdown could easily be enforced, especially in areas where the cases are significantly on the rise. 

Talking about enforcement, Imran Khan said that action should be taken against restaurants and wedding halls when they violate standard operating procedures (SOPs). In addition, he said that schools should remain closed until staff and students are fully vaccinated. According to him, the real solution towards progress, however, lies in getting vaccinated. 

The premier revealed that up until now, the country has successfully vaccinated around 30 million people. He highlighted that the economy is also on an upward trajectory right now, which cannot be destroyed by the enforcement of a lockdown. 

While on the telecast, the PM was also questioned about the freedom of the media in Pakistan. He responded that only people who steal from the country are afraid of being exposed in front of the people. In his words, he has no issue with the media, except for when they air propaganda and fake news. 

Imran Khan went on to cite a recent discovery made by the EU DisinfoLab, which exposed that India was using fake accounts against the country to create conflict. He reiterated that constructive journalism is what Pakistan needs. 

The premier was further questioned regarding the case of Noor Mukaddam. He stated that he had been following the case from day one and had known everything about it. He talked about how heinous it is and that it has shocked the entire nation. Going on to assure the people of the country, Khan promised that the accused would not escape the hands of the law and will be brought to justice. He rejected the notion that the accused would go free just because he belongs to an influential family and has dual nationalities. 

The next question to the Prime Minister in the Livestream was regarding the electoral reforms proposed by the government. According to him, his government wants to bring about a system that ensures transparency throughout the voting system. He said that electronic voting machines (EVMs) are the only way to deal with anomalies and rectify the voting system in the country. He revealed that his government officials have repeatedly talked to the opposition to coordinate the finalizing of reforms, but no progress has been made. 

The prime minister questioned the claims being made by the opposition regarding the rigging of the elections in Azad Jammu and Kashmir. He added that most members of the government functionary in AJK belonged to the opposition party, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).