The central and Sindh governments seem to be making an issue over the lockdown in Sindh that the latter has imposed. Federal Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry on Saturday waxed furious over the latter’s temerity on imposing a lockdown on the province, while the Sindh PPP leader Murtaza Wahab insisted that the province was within its rights to impose a lockdown. Ironically, the Sindh government relaxed the lockdown partially, as it allowed pillion riding and the plying of inter-provincial transport.
It might be remembered that the central government spent more time during the very first wave of infections sniping at the Sindh government instead of making a vigorous response itself. It almost seemed as if Prime Minister Imran Khan felt personally threatened by the performance of Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, whose energy and verve were visible. It should not be forgotten that Sindh will be at the cutting edge of any new infection, because it is the main port and main airport, and thus any new germ from abroad will be brought in through it. In this case, it is the delta variant, more infectious and deadlier.
The jostling is unfortunate, for it shows that politicians see politics as more important than human lives. The PTI should realize that it will have to decide on similar lockdowns in Punjab and KP, where it controls the provincial governments too. Both governments must realize that Karachi, a megalopolis in itself, is also a gateway for the rest of Pakistan. That the new variant will move upcountry is an inevitability, and cannot be avoided. The attempts to keep the economy going become meaningless in the face of deaths of economic participants. There is a need to stop parties playing politics at this juncture, and instead of a blame game, or a kind of half-baked doctrinairism, there is a need to let the figures speak for themselves, for all decision makers to let themselves be driven by facts, and guided by6 the numbers.
