Army to help public in fight against virus: Bajwa
ISLAMABAD: Chief of the Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa has said the armed forces would stand shoulder to shoulder with the nation to guard the border between people and COVID-19.
Bajwa, who attended a special briefing at the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), said that the Pakistan army, being part of national effort, would not leave any stone unturned for security and safety of the people of Pakistan.
“Troops on ground must reach out to citizens in every nook and corner of Pakistan not only to protect them against this pandemic but also for bringing comfort in this hour of distress,” the army chief said.
Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi,
Minister for Planning Asad Umar, who is also focal person for national effort for COVID-19, Interior Minister Brig (retd) Ijaz Ahmed Shah, Minister for Revenue Muhammad Hammad Azhar, Minister for Communication Murad Saeed, Minister for Aviation Ghulam Sarwar Khan, Minister for Food Security and Research Khusro Bakhtiar, Minister for Maritime Affairs Ali Zaidi, Special Assistant to the prime minister on Finance and Revenue Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, special assistant on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan, Special Assistant on Health Dr Zafar Mirza, special assistant on National Security Moeed Yousaf, special assistant on Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Sania Nishtar and senior military officials attended the briefing. Bajwa said that only through a coherent national effort all vulnerabilities could be addressed before they turn into threats.
“We must rise — and rise together irrespective of caste, colour, creed and religion fighting as one nation,” he said.
Bajwa observed that all the planned measures, if implemented timely, will contribute to safety and wellbeing of every Pakistani and society at large.
“The task at hand is daunting, but we have overcome difficult situations before. This time the challenge is entirely different,” he observed.
The army chief assured that all necessary measures to ensure public safety were being taken as he said they could not afford to leave any segment of the society at the mercy of this pandemic.
The forum was briefed about latest situation on containment efforts and enforcement measures against COVID-19 and troops deployment across the country assisting federal and provincial administrations in aid of civil power.
The forum expressed complete satisfaction over the measures taken thus far and also dilated upon future course of action. The NCOC is serving as a nucleus for one window operation to synergise and articulate national effort against COVID-19, optimise informed decision-making and ensure implementation of decisions of National Security Committee (NSC) and National Coordination Committee (NCC).