ISLAMABAD: Azad Jammu and Kashmir President Sardar Masood Khan said on Sunday he was satisfied with the efforts of various state departments and institutions to contain the coronavirus pandemic in the territory.
On Monday, a three week lockdown in the territory came into effect for its roughly 4 million residents. Khan said there were currently 90 people suspected to have contracted the disease, with two testing positive and six whose final results were awaited. No fatalities have so far been reported in the region.
“As the testing increases, there may be other cases but by and large the impact of coronavirus is less in the region,” the president told Arab News and added: “We are not facing any food shortages so far and supply chains are fully working.
The lockdown has been enforced in all big and small cities, he added, with various measures adopted for social distancing as well as to ensure little participation in religious congregations and social gatherings.
He said the government had set up quarantine centers and upgraded facilities at all major hospitals, and Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) had extended its help.
At the same time, Khan said he was deeply concerned about the spread of the pandemic across the border in Indian administered Kashmir, and urged the Indian government to immediately release thousands of Kashmiris languishing in various Indian prisons.
He said the prisons in India and Indian administered Kashmir were crowded beyond capacity.
“The outbreak of COVID-19 has necessitated immediate release of all the prisoners particularly the inmates suffering from complicated diseases,” he said.
“People in Indian Kashmir are under double lockdown,” he added and appealed to the international community, particularly the United Nations, to take strict notice of new restrictions imposed by India on the movement of citizens and on the Internet in Indian administered Kashmir.
“The people of occupied Kashmir are facing great difficulties in reaching hospitals and health facilities due to the latest Indian restrictions, and getting information about the COVID-19 due to blockade of Internet services,” he said, and warned the current state of affairs could lead to a faster spread of the virus in the Indian administered territory.
On Sunday, Pakistan’s foreign office said in a statement the humanitarian situation in Indian administered Kashmir had been dire since August last year, and called for the immediate release of Kashmiri prisoners and the lifting of restrictions in the territory in the wake of the deadly new pandemic sweeping the world.
The total number of Covid-19 cases in India crossed the 1,000 mark on Sunday with around 33 cases in Indian administered Kashmir.
Lockdown to stem virus in Azad Kashmir so far effective, says president
https://arab.news/c6a85
Lockdown to stem virus in Azad Kashmir so far effective, says president
- Says 90 suspected cases in region with two testing positive so far
- Khan urged Indian government to immediately release thousands of Kashmiris languishing in Indian prisons
Pakistan nears $1.5 billion deal to supply weapons, jets to Sudan
- Deal may include drones, air defense systems and Karakoram-8 aircraft, with possible JF-17 fighters
- The sale is expected to bolster Sudan’s army in the ongoing civil war with the Rapid Support Forces
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is in the final phases of striking a $1.5-billion deal to supply weapons and jets to Sudan, a former top air force official and three sources said, promising a major boost for Sudan’s army, battling the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.
Their conflict has stoked the world’s worst humanitarian crisis for more than 2-1/2 years, drawing in myriad foreign interests, and threatening to fragment the strategic Red Sea country, a major gold producer.
The deal with Pakistan encompasses 10 Karakoram-8 light attack aircraft, more than 200 drones for scouting and kamikaze attacks, and advanced air defense systems, said two of the three sources with knowledge of the matter, who all sought anonymity.
It was a “done deal,” said Aamir Masood, a retired Pakistani air marshal who continues to be briefed on air force matters.
Besides the Karakoram-8 jets, it includes Super Mushshak training aircraft, and perhaps some coveted JF-17 fighters developed jointly with China and produced in Pakistan, he added, without giving figures or a delivery schedule.
Pakistan’s military and its defense ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
A spokesman for Sudan’s army did not immediately respond to a message requesting comment.
Assistance from Pakistan, especially drones and jets, could help Sudan’s army regain the air supremacy it had toward the start of its war with the RSF, which has increasingly used drones to gain territory, eroding the army’s position.
PAKISTAN’S DEFENSE AMBITIONS
The deal is another feather in the cap for Pakistan’s growing defense sector, which has drawn growing interest and investment, particularly since its jets were deployed in a conflict with India last year.
Last month, Islamabad struck a weapons deal worth more than $4 billion with the Libyan National Army, officials said, for one of the South Asian nation’s largest arms sales, which includes JF-17 fighter jets and training aircraft.
Pakistan has also held talks with Bangladesh on a defense deal that could includes the Super Mushshak training jets and JF-17s, as ties improve ties with Dhaka.
The government sees Pakistan’s burgeoning industry as a catalyst to secure long-term economic stability.
Pakistan is now in a $7-billion IMF program, following a short-term deal to avert a sovereign default in 2023. It won IMF support after Saudi Arabia and other Gulf allies provided financial and deposit rollovers.
