Shehbaz Sharif demands NSC meeting over coronavirus situation

LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President and Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif has demanded to summon a meeting of the National Security Committee (NSC) on coronavirus situation, ARY News reported on Tuesday.

The PML-N leader, in a statement, said that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government should immediately call the National Security Committee meeting and clear its strategy about lockdown across the country in the wake of coronavirus outbreak.

He said that hiding facts on corona pandemic from the masses will create more problems for the federal and provincial administrations.

Shehbaz Sharif also demanded to form parliamentary monitoring committee on coronavirus relief funds.

It must be noted that the National Security Committee (NSC) held on March 14 had announced closure of educational institutions, borders besides cancellation of mass gatherings and partial suspension of flight operations.

A meeting of the country’s top civil-military body took place at the Prime Minister’s House under the chair of PM Imran Khan. The three services chiefs, the federal ministers for interior, foreign and law affairs as well as the education minister were in attendance in the meeting.

The meeting constituted a high-level National Coordination Committee to carry on joint efforts to fight against coronavirus across the country.

Meanwhile, the confirmed coronavirus cases in Pakistan has reached 1,865, according to the National Command and Control Centre.

According to the report, there are 652 cases in Punjab, 625 in Sindh, 221 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 153 in Balochistan, 58 in Islamabad, 148 in Gilgit Baltistan and six cases in Azad Kashmir.

The number of patients recovered from the virus stands at 57, whereas, 25 Pakistanis lost their lives and 11 remain critical in different hospitals, according to the national dashboard.