Dirty Politics on COVID

The world is battling with the outbreak of a deadly new virus – coronavirus – which has been spread in almost 100 countries including our nation Pakistan. Over 6,000 people have died globally due to the unfortunate coronavirus. On the other hand, no vaccine has been developed to curb the spread of this virus. In Pakistan, so far, 53 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed and the great news is that no death has been reported in the country yet.

All the affected countries are taking effective measures to prevent their people from catching COVID-19; meanwhile, Pakistan’s government is also taking invisible steps. However, the dirty game of politics is still part of this tough situation.

Pakistan is well-known for its political conflicts and instability which has always hurt the country in all terms especially it’s economy. It is the main cause of the under-development of Pakistan and has continuously been running since independence. Political instability usually occurs due to discord between institutions and political parties. If we look at the consequences of the political conflicts, through this the level of investment severely falls, inflation increases and all indicators of economic growth start reverse counting.

It is a long debate that when the political conflict and instability started in Pakistan, but giving a little hint will be adequate. It is believed that Pakistan remained under dictatorship for a long time which is greatly blamed for political instability. Simultaneously, political parties blaming each other upon corruption charges – that might be true – is also a grave reason for their conflicts.

Concurrently, the PTI-led federal government is facing a collapse of the economy and the ongoing situation of the outbreak of coronavirus. At the same time, the government is dealing with criticism from the public and other political parties. PTI has made several empty promises in their election campaigns, which all know will not be fulfilled.

Let’s come to the recent political wave in Pakistan, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Health, Dr. Zafar Mirza has been accused of smuggling 20 million face masks abroad. An indifferent inquiry has been launched against Dr. Zafar Mirza with several committees that will also be established like is the tradition in Pakistan. Meanwhile, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has seized this chance to criticize the PTI government. PML-N’s Marryium Aurangzeb claimed that PTI is smuggling the mask-like they previously did with sugar and wheat.

All the political parties in Pakistan don’t miss a single chance to criticize their opponents even in tough times. The same thing is currently happening again. The PTI government, despite taking effective measures, is facing constant criticism from political opponents who are more interested in point-scoring than helping to keep the people safe from COVID-19. 

Political parties of Pakistan should reconsider the consequences of the novel coronavirus and make joint efforts to curb the outbreak of the deadly virus. All the parties should come together and put in place measures that will be for the betterment of the people of Pakistan. And if not, I would not hesitate to say that the virus will cost the loss of many lives. There will not be enough burial spaces.