ISLAMABAD                    -                Pakistan Peoples Party chief Bilawal Bhutto Zardari yesterday said that life was more important than economy.

Speaking to Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah through a video link from here, Bilawal said the “economy can be revived but not the lives of the people, so the biggest challenge at the moment is to save lives.”

He directed Shah to visit all districts of Sindh to save lives. Bilawal said that providing relief to those in need at their doorstep was the main task.

The principle of social distancing should be followed and the people in need should be dealt in a manner which does not compromise their self respect, he added.

Bilawal, who is in Islamabad, said that it was the responsibility of the federal government to protect the lives, property and health of the people.

“It is obligatory for the federal government to provide funds for health immediately. So far, no additional amount has been given to the provinces from the federal government,” he added.

Bilawal said that because of the “faulty strategy” in distribution of Benazir Income Support Programme relief by the federal government to the people, the threat of the spread of Covid-19 had increased.

Senior officials of the administration were also with the Chief Minister at the time of briefing.

Sindh Chief Minister apprised the Chairman PPP of the measures for protecting people from Covid-19 in Larkana said that the test laboratory in Larkana for Covid-19 will be in operation from next week.

A total of 13,500 ration bags had been provided to the people in need in Larkana whereas 3313 families were provided Rs. 6000 per family from the Zakat fund in the district, he said.

Briefing the Chairman PPP, the Chief Minister said that the Sindh government had traced the people coming from abroad itself.

“Quarantine centres have been established in Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto University Arija campus, boys’ hostel, Madni Tableeghi Centre and Bibi Aseefa Dental College. So far a total of 663 people were tested in Larkana out of which 63 positive cases are confirmed,” he said.

Meanwhile, Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, the spokesperson to Bilawal Bhutto Zardari yesterday said that the oil in the international markets had gone down but petroleum products in Pakistan are still being sold on higher prices.

Senator Khokhar said that oil prices were about 5 times higher but people were not burdened with the higher oil prices in the international market. He said that now the oil prices are all time low but Imran Khan’s government is refusing to transfer the benefit to the people.

He said that “people are poor and are facing difficulty during the time of Covid-19 pandemic and on the other hand busy in looting money by selling petroleum products at higher prices to the people.”