ISLAMABAD - Former Interior Minister Rehman Malik yesterday urged the government to declare a medical emergency amid the second wave of the COVID-19.
Speaking at a news conference here, the Chairman Senate Standing Committee on Interior said the government must create an environment for national unity.
“It is time of unity to take the country out of current challenges, PM (Imran Khan) should play role for creating national unity rather than causing polarisation,” he said.
Senator Malik said that ratio of the rapid increase in number of COVID-19 cases in the country was highly worrisome and hence extraordinary precautionary measures should be taken to control its further spread.
He said that underlying diseases patients having multiple and complex health issues like kidneys, heart, lungs, diabetes, cancer were not being admitted by the hospitals in Islamabad, whereas they needed special medical care.
He said he was informed that even the patients with COVID-19 requiring immediate support of oxygen and ventilators were also denied by the ICT hospitals and facilities were complaining about lack of capacity.
Malik said that in this regard he had written letters to Secretary Interior and Chief Commissioner Islamabad directing that all hospitals in Islamabad might be directed to ensure admission of the underlying patients.
He said that the Islamabad Administration should immediately create temporary beds facility for such patients without further loss of time to save their lives.
The chairman Senate Standing Committee on Interior said that committee had received several complaints from the general public regarding non-admission of their patients in hospitals of Islamabad.
The chairman committee also advised the government to procure vaccines on urgent basis from all the available international sources on an SOS basis to safeguard the nation from COVID-19.
He directed to take special care of police and public servants to save them from the second wave of COVID-19 especially the police officials working and living in Police Lines.
Malik said that a detailed meeting of the committee will be scheduled soon for consideration of precautionary measures being taken by the Islamabad administration to stop the potential spread of the second wave of COVID-19 in Islamabad.
Senator Rehman Malik said that country was passing through a testing time as on one side it was facing the potential spread of Coronavirus and on the other hand threats were escalating at Southern and Western borders as India is always hatching conspiracies against Pakistan and in such a situation we need unity and collective wisdom to cope all challenges.
He said that current political polarization is neither in favour of the people of Pakistan nor democracy. He urged Prime Minister Imran Khan to give up his ego and create national unity and consensus to combat coronavirus and other challenges.
Answering a question, Senator Rehman Malik said that government not to humiliate the opposition and the way police mistreated political leadership in Multan was condemnable.
He expressed that police have the right to arrest but have no right to humiliate anyone, adding that the conduct with Gilani brothers was against the law and highly condemnable.
He added that no law allowed the police to treat citizens or elected representatives in such away. He said that in a democratic system all political issues and differences are settled through dialogue rather than victimization and use of force.
He said that as then-Interior Minister he had handled major political sit-ins and protests through political wisdom and dialogue.
On the occasion, Senator Malik felicitated the workers of Pakistan People’s Party on party 53rd Foundation Day.
He said that on December 2, 1988 Benazir Bhutto was sworn in as the Prime Minister of Pakistan and became the first female Prime Minister in the history of Muslim Ummah (nation).
