Declaring coronavirus pandemic as "most dangerous disease the world [has] ever witnessed", director general Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Maj-General Baber Iftikhar on Monday said that the armed forces were fully aware of their duty and would take on the virus with the nation's support.
Speaking at a presser soon after the government called in the military in support of civil administration throughout the country, he said that the military would leave no stone unturned in the war against COVID-19, which had so far infected 875 people, and left at least six people dead. About the measures taken so far to contain the virus, Maj General Iftikhar said that the borders had been shut as a preventive measure but the "actual border is between the man and the coronavirus, which we have yet to take control of".
"This will only be possible through self-discipline and cooperation. The best defense against the coronavirus is cooperation," he said, adding that Pakistan was facing a serious challenge and that only with the people's belief in the state, could this problem be resolved.
Maj General Iftikhar said that the military was well aware of its responsibility and would bring all of its resources to use, and assured the citizens that the army was standing alongside its countrymen.
About Sunday's special corps commanders' conference, he said that it was specially convened to chalk out a strategy about how to deal with coronavirus, armed forces' aid to the civil administration, and its plan of action.
"Despite being deployed at the Line of control (LoC) and the western border, the army chief [General Javed Qamar Bajwa] has directed that all available soldiers and the army's medical resources be deployed to tackle the coronavirus," he added.
"The Government of Pakistan has summoned the Pakistan Army under Article 245 in aid of civil power," he added. "According to the notification issued by the federal and provincial governments, only hospitals, shops selling food items, medical stores, and food and medicine manufacturing industries would only remain open, while schools shall remain closed," he added.
The DG ISPR said that the petrol pumps and markets would remain open only according to the timings issued by the respective provincial governments. The spokesperson also mentioned that General Bajwa had decided to donate one month's salary to tackle the coronavirus pandemic, while personnel between the ranks of brigadier to lieutenant generals would donate three days' worth of their salaries.
The personnel below the colonel rank and soldiers would donate two and one days' worth of their salaries, respectively, he added. Maj General Iftikhar also urged the people to follow the guidelines issued by health authorities and the government.
With regard to Pakistan Day, he said the citizens - the heirs of those who fought for the country's independence "face a new challenge, an evil that has taken over the entire world ... so much so, that even the developed nations seem powerless against COVID-19". He said that there was a need for everyone to once again unite with a passion for safe Pakistan.
He said that the Independence Day was a day to remember our Kashmiri brethren who, despite being helpless in the face of the worst state-sanctioned terrorism and this natural disaster, were an example of resistance in their fight for the right to self-determination.