PM cancels Rashakai Economic Zone inaugural public meeting

PESHAWAR: Due to burgeoning cases of coronavirus in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Prime Minister Imran Khan has canceled the public meeting on the occasion of the inauguration ceremony of Rashakai Economic Zone in the larger public interest.

KP Minister for Health and Finance Taimur Saleem Jhagra and Special Assistant to the Chief Minister (CM) on Information Kamran Khan Bangash informed the media after a meeting of the National Coordination Committee (NCC) on Coronavirus here on Monday.

The meeting was presided over by the Prime Minister Imran Khan.

They asked the opposition not to put the lives of the people in danger and they should also cancel their public meetings.

The special assistant to the KP CM told that the NCC discussed the overall situation of the corona pandemic and preventive steps against it.

He said during the first week of October the ratio of corona positive cases was 1.7% that had now risen to 6.4%.

Similarly, he said in October, eight deaths were reported daily on basis, but now 25 deaths were being reported.

He said the country had entered into the second wave of the corona pandemic.

The meeting of the NCC, he said, had decided the imposition of ban on all the public gatherings and public meetings to stop the spread of corona and save the lives of the people.

The prime minister, he said, in the larger public interest and on recommendation of the National Command and Control Center had decided the cancellation of the big public meeting on the occasion of the inauguration of Rashakai Economic Zone in the KP.

He said Rashakai Economic Zone was the first industrial zone under China Pakistan Economic Corridor that would generate employment opportunities for more than 0.2 million people.

The purpose of the cancellation of public meeting was to protect people from looming threat to their lives while Chief Minister Mahmood Khan had also canceled his all public functions after reviewing the situation, he added.

Kamran Bangash said the opposition parties should also acknowledge the gravity of the situation and cancel their public meetings.

He said though the public meetings of the prime minister were used to be big and historic, but he like past had once again took lead and canceled his big public meeting in the larger public interest.

On this occasion, the Provincial Minister for Health Taimur Saleem Jhagra said like first wave of corona, the people and health workers would once again combat the second wave with the same spirit.