ISLAMABAD                    -                Pakistan acknowledges China’s support amid the coronavirus pandemic, the country’s top diplomat said.

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi told The Nation that Islamabad was in regular contact with Beijing as Pakistan fights coronavirus.

“China is our iron brother and had supported us in this difficult time. We acknowledge this cooperation,” he said. Qureshi said China had always stood by Pakistan in the hour of need. “We are together in good and bad times.”

State officials affirmed the sentiments expressed by the Minister, saying that the Pakistan-China relationship had once again proven unshakable during such critical times. China not only looked after Pakistani students in Wuhan but also provided necessary medical assistance on an emergency basis for the containment of COVID-19

A team of Chinese medical experts visited Pakistan to share their experiences of fighting the disease. The team met doctors, government and health officials in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Karachi, Lahore and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

China also provided critical medical supplies including 529,924 N95 masks, 33,744 protective suits, 10,000 testing kits, 1558,379 medical masks, 36 ventilators, 180 thermometer, 100 thermal scanners, 24,900 gloves, 59,376 goggles, 10,000 litre sanitizers and 1,442 kg non-woven fabric for making protective suits.

For Gilgit-Baltistan, special effort was made and medical supplies were sent to GB at Khunjrab included five ventilators, 200,000 face mask, 2,000 N95 masks, 2,000 testing kits and 2,000 protective suits. Pakistan Army helicopters were flown to get these to various parts of GB.

The Chinese medical experts’ team also visited Armed Forces Institute of Pathology and discussed the ways to prevent and diagnose COVID-19 with Pakistan Military counterparts. The delegation highly praised the firm commitment and strong measures taken by the state. The Chinese delegation called on Chief Minister Punjab Usman Buzdar at CM office Lahore, and also met with Chief Minister Sindh Murad Ali Shah and exchanged views of fighting COVID-19. A teleconference on sharing knowledge and experience gained from People’s Liberation Army’s response to COVID-19 was held between military medical experts from Chinese People’s Liberation Army and Pakistani Armed Forces.