CMYK
Saturday, 30 May, 2020 I 7 Shawwal-ul-Mubarak, 1441 I Rs 15.00 I Vol X No 330 I 12 Pages I Islamabad Edition
Govt warns of surGe in Covid-19 Cases, deaths in CominG days g
sAPm Dr mirzA AsKs PeoPle not to let their GuArD Down As 57 PeoPle succumb to DeADly Virus in one DAy
ISLAMABAD staff report
P
rime minister’s special Assistant on national health services Dr zafar mirza on friday warned the masses not to let their guard down against covid-19, saying the number of positive cases and deaths could increase in the country in the coming days. the warning came as Pakistan witnessed 57 deaths in the last 24 hours, the highest recorded figure in a day so far. Addressing the media in the federal capital, Dr mirza said that 157 patients were on ventilators. he said that 64,000 confirmed cases were reported throughout the country till date while during last 24 hours, 2,636 new cases were reported. he added that 35 per cent patients had recovered completely while over 520,000 corona tests had been conducted so far. Dr mirza said that testing during eid holidays was slow but “is again gaining momentum”. he said the situation regarding avail-
Pakistan
CONFIRMED CASES:
65,216
DAY'S DEATH TOLL:
57
RECOVERED:
DEATHS:
SINDH:
PUNJAB:
22,306 1,364 22,964
KP:
BALOCHISTAN:
AJK/GB:
ISLAMABAD:
9,067 227/658
sAys testinG ‘AGAin GAininG momentum’ After slowinG Down DurinG eiD holiDAys
ability of ventilators and beds across the country is under control. “only 18 to 20 per cent out of total number of ventilators are in use at the moment,” he added. Dr mirza said the people could not grasp the situation regarding the lockdown, adding that the national command and operation centre (ncoc) is closely watching the situation and will adopt strategy accordingly in consultation with various stakeholders. the Pm’s aide went on to say that there has been no evidence so far of transmission of coronavirus from a dead body. however, he added, that the handlers of the body should adopt all precautionary measures, including use of personal protective equipment (PPe). “A new instruction guide has been issued for the people who die of coronavirus,” he said. he said the government has developed a health information system to keep the status of available facilities at public sector hospitals updated in the wake of growing covid-19 cases. he added that
Coronavirus in
26,113
g
4,087 2,100
due to the information system, the government would be able to know the occupancy of beds and ventilators, and their availability at the intensive care units and allocated wards of hospitals. he said with the help of the system, the authorities concerned could easily manage the situation in hospitals to properly treat the corona patients. moreover, the shortage of any necessary equipment could also be addressed. PROVINCES ASKED TO SHARE UPDATES ON REM: earlier in the day, minister for Planning, Development and special initiatives Asad umar directed the provinces to share their latest covid-19 combating efforts and information about the pandemic in their respective areas on the resource management (rms) to facilitate people. chairing a meeting at ncoc to review the situation, he said that the rms was effectively providing latest information about the availability of beds, ventilators and other facilities available in hospitals across the country. the representatives of provinces, AJK, Gb and islamabad capital territory (ict) expressed satisfaction over the workings of the rms. special Assistant to the Prime minister on national security Dr moeed yusuf briefed the national command and operation centre (ncoc) about the latest plan of bringing back stranded Pakistanis and testing plans of the suspected patients.
twin cities’ covid-19 wards reach full capacity STORY ON PAGE 03
Pakistan begins Afghan transit trade via Gwadar port ISLAMABAD GHULaM aBBas
Pakistan on friday operationalised the Gwadar port for Afghan transit trade, with the first-ever cargo ship berthing at the seaport to mark the beginning of a new era of trade via sea route from Gwadar to Afghanistan. in a series of tweets, Adviser to Prime minister on commerce and investment Abdul razak Dawood shared that a ship carrying 16,000 metric tonnes of urea and fertiliser for Afghanistan has arrived in Gwadar. "the cargo ship sibulk tradition has berthed at Gwadar, carrying 16,000 tonnes of urea for transit to Afghanistan. this is a first and marks the beginning of a new era in Pakistan’s trade by sea," Dawood tweeted. According to ministry officials, imported urea that arrived at Gwadar would be bagged at the port and later would be sent to Afghanistan in trucks under the Afghanistan-Pakistan transit trade Agreement-2010 (APttA). the commerce adviser further stated that it was for the first time that fertiliser would be packed locally, adding that directives had also been issued to offer jobs and livelihoods to local labourers only. the labourers would be utilized for packing, loading and offloading of items in trucks. Apart from fertilizers, Afghanistan would also be granted permission
Pakistan resumes int’l flight operations g
Domestic fliGht oPerAtions to be enhAnceD from June 1 ISLAMABAD staff report
the civil Aviation Authority (cAA) on friday announced that Pakistan will resume international flight operations from may 30 (saturday). “As per decision of the federal government, the outbound international flights (scheduled, non scheduled and charter flights) operation has been allowed with effect from 2359 hours tonight,” said spokesperson Aviation Division Abdul sattar Khokhar. in a statement, the spokesperson added that both national and foreign airlines will be allowed to operate from all international airports of Pakistan except Gwadar and turbat. “soPs for outbound international flights have already been issued according to which airlines will be required to follow the soPs of the destination country.” Keeping in view the current situation, the statement said that congestion at airports will not be allowed and planes will be disinfected. in march, the Pakistan international Airlines (PiA) suspended all international flights in the wake of the novel coronavirus. A month later, the government extended the suspension of inter-
for the transit trade of sugar and wheat from Gwadar, whereas only those trucks carrying fully sealed consignments would be allowed to go to the neighbouring country. earlier, the government had given a special permission to resume the handling of Afghan cargo at Gwadar port under the APttA2010 to help the early clearance and quicker transportation of sugar, wheat, and fertilizer to Afghanistan. however, Gwadar port can be utilized more optimally for trade and transit for Afghan side for other goods as well. Afghanistan relies heavily on Pakistan for transit as well as bilateral trade necessary for the livelihood of its people as well as its business community. when the flow from Pakistan in both cases gets halted, it not only causes inflation inside Afghanistan due to shortage of commodities, but also a lot of difficulty for the people. it is pertinent to mention that the Pakistan Afghanistan Joint chamber of commerce and industry (PAJcci) had also requested Pm imran Khan to support Afghanistan, especially during challenging times of covid-19 pandemic, by ensuring the continuation of both bilateral and transit trade, and to serve the cause on humanitarian ground to extend all possible basic necessities and healthcare facilities to the citizens of Afghanistan.
more inside
PFMA increases flour price by Rs120 per 20kg bag STORY ON PAGE 02
Pakistan to import remdesivir from bangladesh STORY ON PAGE 03 national and domestic flight operations till April 30 in line with the national strategy to stem the spread of novel coronavirus. however, during that period, PiA resumed its relief flights to repatriate stranded Pakistani nationals. DOMESTIC FLIGHTS: the government has also decided to enhance the domestic flights operation from June 1, which was partially restored on may 16, after almost 56-day suspension due to the covid-19 pandemic. “it has been decided to further enhance domestic flights operation from previous 20-22% to 40-45% of the pre-coViD19 operations,” a spokesman for
CMYK
the Aviation Division said. he said the decision had been taken due to growing business and public demand for air travel and effective smart lockdown being observed by the federal and provincial governments to contain the virus spread. “the decision is also the outcome of peoples’ confidence due to best possible health precautions being adopted both at airports and by the airlines during flights,” he said. the spokesman said the enhanced flights operation would start from June 1, and cover islamabad, Karachi, lahore, Peshawar and Quetta.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 05
PM stresses financial discipline for economic stability STORY ON PAGE 09
Pakistan shoots down second indian quadcopter in a week STORY ON BACK PAGE