The government of Pakistan deserves all commendation and praise for attending the videoconference hosted by the Indian Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi despite a tense political atmosphere. Instead of boycotting the discussion, Pakistan displayed great maturity by participating in it.
Pakistan, through its action, showed to regional countries that for the greater common good, we are ready to put our disputes on the back burner, but only temporarily. We perhaps know better than any other country member the miseries and tolls that natural catastrophes bring on people.
The SAARC members must take the proposal of Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Health Dr Zafar Mirza to formulate a joint strategy for containing the spread of the virus seriously. The global spread of the virus tells us that it does not know any walls or human-made frontiers. No country on its own can win the fight against the deadly virus. Therefore, the members of SAARC must show solidarity with each other.
Besides, the Pakistani government also deserves praise for remembering “Kashmir in the time of coronavirus” when everyone else seems to have forgotten India’s brutal lockdown of the valley since previous August. The Indian government needs to lift the physical lockdown in the region so that all necessary medical aid gets in. Not just that, the Indian government must remove the information blockade as well so that people can receive awareness on precautions that one needs to take against the coronavirus.
The countries in SAARC by acting together can show the rest of the world what humanity needs of each other in such testing times: love in the time of corona. Also, if the SAARC countries successfully come together with a joint strategy against the spread of the virus, it will be a big win for the people of the region.