The worst is yet to come. In the last week or so, Covid-19 seems to have exploded in Pakistan. The pandemic has finally started to live up to its name as it permeates homes, timelines and dashboards with a menace that grows by the day.The crisis is now actually looking like one. But under the overhang of this public health crisis lie sheltered a number of smaller crises that are ballooning in size as the spread of the virus picks up pace. The foremost among these, possibly, is the government’s handling of Covid-19.
It has been over 13 weeks since the first Pakistani citizen was diagnosed with the virus. In this relatively short period, PTI government’s policy has seen some successes like the formation of the NCOC, and some failures like the confusion and contradictory public messaging. In all, the policy has combined in itself a potent mix of dynamism and denial. These two contradictions worked fine — in a twisted way — till such time the virus remained an abstract notion that was seen as affecting some people far away from us.
Now, suddenly, the government is faced with a fresh set of challenges.
The first real challenge is to recognise the challenge itself. In a recent briefing at the NCOC premises, Minister for Planning Asad Umar was on the mark when he said the world had moved beyond the lockdown debate and it was time we did the same. He was also correct in saying that the numbers of the day have not come as a surprise to the government. Other senior officials within the Red Zone argue that Prime Minister Imran Khan had been consistently saying the infection would spread in the coming weeks and people should follow all SOPs.
The challenge for the government in the first 13 weeks was then to make a success of its anti-lockdown policy. The crux of the official approach was to frame Covid-19 not just as a public health issue but as a health/economic issue. This framing provided strategic direction to all aspects of policy, which was then parroted by party personnel with varying shades persuasive sobriety.
Thirteen weeks later, Pakistan’s infection count is hitting global lists. Line and bar graphs are spiking and threatening to go off the charts while most citizens now personally know the Pakistanis who are infected with Covid-19. This when the worst is still ahead of us. As per official projections, the number of citizens infected with Covid-19 by June 15 would be between 110,000 and 125,000. The death count on this date is projected between 2,750 and 3,250. Hidden within these numbers is the post-thirteen weeks challenge. Source:: dawn.com
Saturday, April 25, 2026
