Pak Army says it is using all resources to combat coronavirus

The Pakistan Army on Friday said it is using all its resources to help combat the coronavirus and also helping in maintaining quarantines on the border with Iran and Afghanistan.

Military spokesman Major General Babar Iftikhar addressed the media after the Army's top brass' meeting that discussed internal and external security situations in the wake of threat by the virus.

The spokesman said that the coronavirus outbreak in Pakistan was still under control but warned that the epidemic could peak in the coming weeks.

He said that the Pakistan Army was using its all resources to help combat the pandemic that has infected over 11,000 people and killed over 230 people.

Iftikhar said that it was decided to implement smart lockdown to target areas which showed maximum cases of virus.

A smart lockdown and testing, tracing and quarantining will drive our efforts against Covid-19. We will have a targeted lockdown only for virus hotspots and clusters, he said.

He said Army troops would provide all help in ensuring the smart lockdown. He said all reservists of the Medical Corps were called on duty to increase the human resource in the fight against the disease.

He said the Army was also helping in maintaining quarantines on the border with Iran and Afghanistan. Both neighbouring countries of Pakistan have reported a number of cases of coronavirus.

The spokesman said that Pakistan Air Force and Navy were also helping the fight against the coronavirus.

He announced that any crew of the Pakistan International Airlines suffering from the coronavirus would be treated at military hospitals to keep the airline operational and expedite the evacuation of stranded Pakistanis globally.

The spokesman also accused India of attempting to link the coronavirus with Muslims and Pakistan.

India on Sunday trashed Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's comments alleging targeting of Muslims in the country in the backdrop of the coronavirus pandemic.

In New Delhi, External Affairs Ministry said the "bizarre comments" by the Pakistani leadership was an attempt to shift focus from the "abysmal handling" of that country's internal affairs.

Pakistan's coronavirus cases on Friday touched 11,155 after the country reported 642 new infections in the last 24 hours. The country has reported 237 deaths so far.

Highlighting the threat of the virus, Iftikhar said that next 15 days were very important and urged people to stay home and also avoid visiting mosques.