Dubai: Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has appealed to people especially overseas Pakistanis to donate to ‘corona relief fund’ to help those made destitute by the lockdown in provinces due to coronavirus.
The Prime Minister’s corona relief fund started receiving donations on Wednesday. Imran said that those who donte in the relief fund will not be asked the source of the money and will also be given tax incentives.
Imran took to twitter on Wednesday appealing the donation. “Prime Minister’s COVID-19 Pandemic Relief Fund-2020 has been set up to help us fight this pandemic. I want everyone to donate towards this fund which will be used to take care of all those who have been made destitute by the lockdown,” he wrote on his twitter handle.
“Send your tax deductible donation to Acc. No. 4162 786 786 National Bank of Pakistan Main Branch Karachi,” he said in another tweet.
Account number
His appeal came as the numbe rof confirmed coronavirus cases in Pakistan jumped to 2039 on Wednesday. Number of deaths has increased to 26 while 82 patients have recovered. Punjab has become the worst-hit province with 708 cases, 676 cases in Sindh, 158 in Balochistan, 253 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 184 in Gilgit Baltistan, 58 in Islamabad and six in Pakistan Administered Kashmir.
Meanwhile, speaking to doctors and health care staff at Cantonment General Hospital in Rawalpindi, Imran praised doctors and paramedics as frontline soldiers in fighting against coronavirus.
He said that protective gear would be provided to health care staff on priority to those working at the Intensive Care Units (ICUs) and dealing patients with contagious diseases. He said that Pakistan has received necessary medical equipment and expertise from China on priority as the world braced the gravity of Covid-19 challenge.
The Prime Minister also inaugurated the upgradated 500-bed hospital with modern medical facilities Rawalpindi.
Pakistani-American doctors
The Association of Physicians of Pakistani Descent of North America (APPNA) has pledged to arrange urgently needed medical items, including protective medical clothing, ventilators and diagnostic kits for use in Pakistan, which is fighting to stem the spread of coronavirus pandemic.
US relief assistance
Meanwhile, the United Nations is in touch with Pakistan for relief assistance to the country under the world body’s US$2 billion rescue plan that was unveiled last week, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres Secretary-General said.
“Pakistan is a country with whom we have been in contact because there are large number of Afghan refugees, and there is also now a meaningful impact of COVID-19,” the UN chief said, according to APP.
Flights to resume
Pakisan government is also considering to restor regular flight operations after April 4 and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has issued the Airline Operational Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the April 4-11 period, Geo Tv reported.
Spokesman for the Aviation Division Abdul Sattar Khokhar said that the restoration of regular flights was under consideration, but a final decision has not been taken yet.
The government had suspended operations of all international passenger flights, and chartered and private inbound flights to Pakistan from March 21 to April 4.
Pakistan coronavirus tally on April 1 (4pm)
Total cases: 2039
Deaths: 26
Recovered: 82
