Coronavirus : Pak announces Rs 1.25 trillion package

In the backdrop of coronavirus pandemic, Pakistan government on Wednesday announced Rs 1.25 trillion package to keep the economy afloat. The package will grant relief to SMEs and daily wage workers.

"The federal and provincial governments are working together," Special Assistant to Prime Minister Hafeez Sheikh said, as reported by DAWN.

On Tuesday, Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly and PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday urged Prime Minister Imran Khan to call a meeting of the Council of Common Interests (CCI) to address the current coronavirus outbreak.

He also offered the government various solutions for combating the economic fallout of the novel coronavirus in the country.

He proposed slashing the interest rate by three to four per cent. He further proposed to double the salaries of medical staff. He also asked to take the media on board and launching an awareness campaign.

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday announced that petrol and diesel prices will be reduced by Rs 15.

"Petrol, diesel, kerosene and light diesel will all be reduced by Rs15 per litre," he said.

Pakistan's tally of confirmed cases has also crossed 1,000 on Wednesday with 1,016 cases and seven deaths.

The Province of Sindh remains worst affected with 413 cases followed by Punjab with 312 cases, 115 cases in Balochistan, 82 in Gilgit Baltistan and Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK), 78 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and 16 in national-capital Islamabad.