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The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has termed the National Assembly session as a "total disappointment" for the people, saying that Prime Minister Imran Khan and his government failed to save the nation from the danger of the Covid-19 pandemic, and its economic impact.

Speaking at a news conference, the PML-N senior leaders including former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, party's parliamentary leader Khawaja Asif and Secretary General Ahsan Iqbal strongly criticised the government for its "flawed" strategy to effectively cope with the coronavirus pandemic, and prevent its further outbreak in the country.

Accusing the government and its ministers for telling "lies" to the nation about the facts and figures of the Covid-19 cases in the country, they demanded that a special committee of the National Assembly should be constituted to monitor the situation on a daily basis.

They pointed out that the federal government was creating confusion with regard to the lockdown, adding that the center has lifted the lockdown, while the provinces have continued the lockdown.

They said that the prime minister who is minister in-charge of the Ministry of Health is "afraid" of attending the National Assembly session, while all the ministers are engaged in going after the opposition parties.

Abbasi, while speaking, alleged that Asad Umar is in-charge of the government who is making contradictory statements every day, adding that every minister is giving contradictory statements, and the prime minister makes a new statement every day.

He said that reports from Balochistan are coming that the number of coronavirus cases has reached hundreds and thousands, while the province is also lacking the capacity to increase the testing.

He said that number of victims is also increasing in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, while the foreign minister had stated that 20,000 tests are being conducted daily.

"Today, the entire country is in chaos about healthcare system and the economy, but there is no one to tell the truth. In this situation, the opposition has decided to tell the facts to the nation," he added.

"If the government fails then the parliament should play its role as it is the most serious challenge in the history of Pakistan," he said, adding that the government has paralyzed the parliament. Abbasi said the PTI leaders claimed that the government has an evolving strategy, which is another name for a strategy based on knee-jerk reactions.

He said there is so much data and precedents across the world to analyse, predict, plan and implement a strategy on various phases of the Covid-19.

But this government, he said, demonises the lockdowns one day, announces the lockdown the same day, does nothing to implement the lockdown, lifts the lockdown after three weeks, and then announces imposing it back the very next day, and yet calls it a lockdown, while everything is open with markets swarming with people, he added.

He said, this is not an evolving strategy, this is absolute confusion, cluelessness, inability, incapacity and total mayhem, adding that the federal government is easing lockdown, while the provinces are tightening them.

He said that the prime minister, the health minister, interior minister and minister for finance were all missing from the parliamentary session, adding that it shows the commitment of these people and their government to democratic institutions and will to solve people's problems.

Khawaja Asif said the government has completely failed to handle Covid-19 outbreak and is instead busy "looting" the people amid a pandemic through its ministers, office holders and cronies.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020

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