Gilgit-Baltistan struggling to fight COVID-19

Amid COVID-19 outbreak in Gilgit-Baltistan, the government in Pakistan occupied region is struggling to deal with the coronavirus for want of financial support and medical infrastructure.

Chief Minister of Gilgit-Baltistan Hafiz Hafeezur Rehman recently blamed Prime Minister Imran Khan's government for not providing sufficient technical and financial support to deal with the coronavirus pandemic.

He has demanded Rs 1.75 billion from Islamabad to handle the coronavirus outbreak. The region, bordering China's Xinjiang province, has registered 234 corona cases and three deaths.

Earlier, president of the Gilgit-Baltistan chapter of Pakistan People's Party also blamed the government for holding back Rs 2.5 billion for political mpulation.

Talking to journalists in Gilgit, advocate Amjad Hussain said that this fund could have been diverted to cope with the emergency situation in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

He said the government had not yet spent a single penny from the development fund to provide relief to common people.

Hussain said that even during the crisis situation priority of the government was not the people, but political projects.

The NGOs in Hunza area of Gilgit Baltistan also allege negligence in the distribution of relief materials to the needy.

Addressing a press conference at Gojal, the Coordination Committee demanded an equal share in resources at the sub-divisional level.

They said Gojal sub-division was given only 500 out of the over 1,800 ration packets received for Hunza district.

They said the same formula was used in the disbursement of the cash under the PM Ehsaas Emergency Cash programme.

The committee included representatives of PTI, PML-N, PPP, AWP, village orgsations, business associations and Nambardars.

( With inputs from ANI )