Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday said that Pakistan faced a dilemma where it has to make the most difficult decisions to create an intricate balance between the lockdown and stop its poor from starving to death.
Taking to Twitter, the premier said that there is a very real danger to Pakistan's teetering economy as the country and the world goes through the global coronavirus pandemic.
In the subcontinent, with a high rate of poverty, we are faced with the stark choice of having to balance between a lockdown necessary to slow down/prevent the spread of COVID19 & ensuring people don't die of hunger & our economy doesn't collapse. So we are walking a tightrope.
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) April 4, 2020
We have locked down educational institutions, Malls, marriage halls, restaurants & other places where public congregates. But, to stop the devastation of the lockdown we have kept our agri sector open & now we are opening up our construction sector.
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) April 4, 2020
Yesterday, the prime minister reiterated the government can't confine 220 million people to their homes through a complete lockdown to arrest the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
Speaking at a press conference, he announced a "historic" stimulus package for the construction sector.
Stressing the need for striking a balance between the fight against the coronavirus pandemic and providing livelihoods to daily wagers, Imran Khan said how can they ask the people to stay at home if they are hungry.
