ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday said that holding public meetings amidst spike in deaths due to COVID-19 in the country was tantamount to playing with the lives of people.

“As the number of single-day deaths due to COVID in the country has reached 67 on Monday, the highest so far, holding of public meetings in such a situation is tantamount to playing with the lives of people,” he said.

Presiding over the meeting of federal cabinet here the prime minister referred to the current situation of coronavirus and said that the country at this moment required serious decisions and attitudes.

He further said that despite the decision of Islamabad High Court (IHC) against public meetings, holding of public gatherings was also a violation of the court orders.

The prime minister made it clear that as health workers and hospitals were under severe pressure due to coronavirus, collective efforts were needed to check the spread of COVID-19 pandemic.

The cabinet was briefed in detail about the two mega projects including the Ravi Riverfront Urban Development in Lahore and Bundle Island in Karachi initiated by the present government.

The meeting was told that under the Master Plan of environment-friendly Ravi Riverfront Urban Development Project, launched on August 7, 2020, three barrages and seven water treatment plants would be established to meet the requirements of water.

The project, which would be completed with private sector partnership and without the provision of any government loan or funding, was expected to attract the investment of billions of dollars. Plantation of 10 million trees was also part of the project, it was told.

About the Bundle Island project, the cabinet was told that the project had been designed by keeping in view the international standards.

The smart, green and pollution-free Bundle Island project covering 12,000 acres was expected to attract US$ 50 billion of investment. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) regarding the foreign investment of US$ 1.3 billion has already been signed, it was told.

The prime minister said that both the projects were very important to curbing environmental pollution, earning precious foreign exchange and providing employment to people. He said that the Bundle Island project would help protect mangroves and check water pollution. 

The prime minister further said that the project besides creating job opportunities for the people of Sindh will also provide better source of earning to fishermen. Overseas Pakistanis were keen to invest in the two projects, he added.