Corona Relief Tiger Force
Prime Minister of Pakistan declares country too poor for lasting blockages and urges citizens to donate to relief fund
Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday urged Pakistanis to
unite in the fight against the new coronavirus, as he announced the formation
of a volunteer force and a charitable fund to meet the needs of the most
disadvantaged during the blockages.
In a nationwide televised speech, Khan said the world is
struggling to overcome the spread of COVID-19, adding that China has so far
been the only country to successfully overcome it. He said that Beijing only
managed this feat by placing 20 million people in detention, which was
unsustainable for a country like Pakistan. "If Pakistan were in a position
similar to China, I would have closed entire cities," he said. However, he
added, 25% of the Pakistani population lives below the poverty line, while 20%
are at the limit.
In this scenario, said the Prime Minister, a foreclosure
could never succeed because people would lose their sources of income and have
nothing to eat. "This virus does not differentiate between the rich and
the poor," he warned. He also defended his decision not to proceed with
the foreclosure by designating neighboring India, where he claimed that P.M.
Narendra Modi was forced to apologize for imposing a national curfew. However,
Modi simply apologized for the harshness of the restrictions and said it was
necessary to overcome the disease.
But while Pakistan lacks funds, "we have two other
things," said Khan. “The power of faith and [our] youth. We have faith
that we can win it [fighting COVID-19] with unity and faith, one of the
fundamental principles adopted by the father of the nation, Quaid-e-Azam, and
we have the second most large population of young people around the world, which
will be used to help the government and the administration to overcome the
disease, "he said.
In this context, Khan announced the creation of the Corona
Relief Tiger Force, a voluntary initiative that would work with the civil
administration and the army to contain the spread of the coronavirus. According
to Khan, the Force would be deployed as needed to distribute food to poor
people in confinement, and would also serve to raise awareness of the
coronavirus and its preventive measures. Force registration is now open through
the Pakistan Citizen portal.
For those who wish to register, the iOS and Android
applications of the Pakistan Citizen portal are located here:
Android: Pakistan
Citizen's Portal
The Prime Minister said that a cell was working in the Prime
Minister’s Office to monitor the current situation. He said that within a week
the trends in the spread of the virus would become clear and the government
would take further action if necessary. "We will only lock out completely
when the government is able to feed people in their homes," he added.
Khan reiterated that the coronavirus was the most dangerous
for the elderly and those with compromised immunity, and urged people not to
treat it as social stigma. He also, once again, warned against strict action
against hoarders and profiteers during this crisis.
The Prime Minister also announced the creation of the Corona
Relief Fund at the National Bank of Pakistan for charitable contributions to
fight the virus. These contributions would be tax-exempt and tax incentives
would be given to registrants, he said. The account would be open for donations
from tomorrow (April 1, 2020).
Khan said Pakistan has so far allocated $ 8 billion for a
coronavirus rescue program, adding that it would be improved if necessary. He
said that the State Bank of Pakistan would lend to low-margin industries so that
they would not kill any jobs.
Anyone wishing to donate to the Prime Minister's Relief Fund
can do so using the following information:
Account number: 4162786786
Swift Code: NBPAPKKAMBR
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