British claims implicating Pakistan for virus spread absurd: Moeed Yusuf

ISLAMABAD: Special Assistant to Prime Minister on National Security Division and Strategic Policy Moeed Yusuf on Friday said that the government was trying its best to minimize risk of coronavirus patients travel abroad from the country, ARY News reported.

Yusuf said that the implication by British media against Pakistan calling it a major reason for the virus’ spread in the kingdom was an absolutely rubbish insinuation.

The SAPM said that the claim made by British media was absurd because 30 people tested positive for coronavirus in England after serving a seven day quarantine after arriving in the country, Yusuf questioned that how did the British determine that the passengers were carriers and not infected after landing in England?

Moeed Yusuf said that Pakistan had been ensuring strict screening and testing of its passengers since the initial cases were reported in the country whereas Britain followed no such protocols at the airports or in the country and was in turn devastated by the coronavirus.

Yusuf added that rather than pointing fingers towards Pakistan, Britain should ensure safety and precautionary measures are ensure for the people travelling to the country and for that the country needed strict screening at airports and clean aircrafts.

Earlier on June 30, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development Zulfi Bukhari said that the deadly coronavirus had surfaced in Pakistan after the pandemic hit Britain in start of February.

“There was not even a single case of the virus in Pakistan, the pandemic hit the UK in start of February, while it reached Pakistan by end of the same month,” said Bukhari while rejecting British media reports about origins of the virus outbreak in United Kingdom.

The SAPM said the publications had done cheap and unprofessional reporting by linking the spread of coronavirus in the UK with Pakistan.

Citing the research study of Oxford University, Bukhari said that UK had imported most of the coronavirus cases from other countries including France, Italy and Spain.