ISLAMABAD: With Ramadan just around the corner, ordinary Pakistanis out of work say they are living on a prayer that the holy month will bring with it divine relief despite the relentless rise in cases of Covid-19 in the country.
With over 8,000 confirmed cases of the virus and 160 deaths as of Sunday, most provinces have reported a steady spike in the rates of cases and fatalities. As part of strict containment measures, most cities remain on partial lockdown, bringing the economy to a virtual halt despite the easing of some rules by the government earlier this week and a weekend announcement that Ramadan prayers in mosques around the country would be allowed.
Wearing a facemask, gloves and with a hand sanitizer tucked into his pocket, Muhammad Ashfaq Abbasi, a server at a local food joint in the federal capital said he used to make between Rs25,000 to Rs30,000 ($184) a month at work before the global pandemic hit Pakistan in February. But since the lockdown was imposed, Abbasi told Arab News he hadn’t been able to earn even 10 percent of that figure.
“The coronavirus has gripped us all in fear. Our predicament has limited choices. If we try to survive the virus, we’ll die of starvation. If we try to overcome the financial problem, we expose ourselves to the disease,” he said.
Abbasi added he was now living on a prayer that Ramadan might bring with it divine intervention, and said he was uncertain about how to cope with the approaching month, when business activity usually witnesses a dip even under normal circumstances.
Pakistan said on Saturday it had disbursed more than Rs53 billion to over 4.4 million people under its Ehsaas Emergency Cash program to help support families falling into the lowest income brackets in the resource-strapped country of 210 million people.
Many are still waiting for government help.
“I haven’t received any relief or funds from the government,” Abbasi said.
“Daily work is the only option I have to sustain my lifestyle and support my family,” he said.
Earlier this week, Prime Minister Imran Khan announced restrictions would be eased on some categories of industries, merchants, and small businesses to resume operations in a move aimed to counter the economic fallout of the lockdowns. But with consumers and customers largely indoors and supply chains still shut down, the effort hasn’t had the desired effect.
“Under the circumstances, I can’t even prepare for Sehr and Iftaar when I am out of pocket and unable to buy food and essentials,” mobile shop owner, Muhammed Saeed Bajwa, told Arab News.
Defying shutdown, Bajwa has reopened his business but keeps his shop shuttered down. With mounting bills and a family to support, he said he had no time or money to even think of Ramadan preparations this year.
It is undignified to beg for relief or a loan, Bajwa said, but he appealed to Prime Minister to allow businesses to resume operations with all preventive measures taken to protect against the virus.
“Expenses won’t stop so the government needs to introduce standard operating procedures and penalties for those breaking protocol but at least allow business activity to continue,” Bajwa said.
In one corner of Islamabad’s main markets, cobbler Karam Khan said it felt like Ramadan had come early for his family, who had been going hungry for weeks, unable to afford basic food items.
On a good month, he said he usually earned roughly Rs15,000 ($92).
“I won’t die from corona but definitely from hunger,” Khan said.
Living on a prayer: As Ramadan approaches, Pakistanis lament loss of livelihood
https://arab.news/58hkn
Living on a prayer: As Ramadan approaches, Pakistanis lament loss of livelihood
- Lockdown has left families grappling with rising expenses and no money to prepare for Ramadan
- Most provinces have reported a steady rise in the rates of Covid-19 cases and fatalities
Pakistan’s president defends ongoing strikes in Afghanistan, urges Kabul to dismantle militants
- Afghanistan on Thursday launched attacks in retaliation for Pakistani airstrikes the previous Sunday
- Pakistan’s military says it is only targeting Afghan military installations to avoid civilian casualties
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s president on Monday defended his country’s ongoing military strikes in neighboring Afghanistan, saying Islamabad tried all forms of diplomacy before targeting militants operating from Afghan territory, and called on the Taliban government in Kabul to disarm groups responsible for attacks in Pakistan.
Pakistan earlier said it is in “open war” with Afghanistan, alarming the international community. The border area remains a stronghold for militant organizations including Al-Qaeda and the Daesh (Islamic State) group.
“(The Afghan Taliban) must choose to dismantle the terror groups that survive on conflict and its war economy,” Asif Ali Zardari said during a speech to lawmakers, adding that “no state accepts serial attacks on its soil.”
Afghanistan on Thursday launched attacks in retaliation for Pakistani airstrikes the previous Sunday. Since then, Pakistan has carried out operations along the border, with Information Minister Attaullah Tarar claiming the killing of 435 Afghan forces and the capture of 31 Afghan positions.
Kabul has denied such claims.
In Afghanistan, the deputy government spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat said Pakistan’s military fired mortar shells at a refugee camp in eastern Kunar province, killing three children and injuring three others.
Afghanistan’s defense ministry said Afghan forces carried out strikes targeting a Pakistani military facility near Paktia province, causing “substantial losses and heavy casualties.”
Pakistan’s military did not respond to questions. It has said Pakistan is only targeting Afghan military installations to avoid civilian casualties.
Pakistan has witnessed a surge of violence in recent months and blames it on the outlawed Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP. It operates both inside Pakistan and from Afghan territory.
Islamabad accuses Afghanistan’s Taliban government of providing safe havens for the TTP, which Kabul denies.
The latest cross-border fighting ended a ceasefire brokered by Qatar and Turkiye in October. The two sides failed to reach a permanent agreement during talks in Istanbul.
Zardari reiterated Pakistan’s call for talks, saying, “We have never walked away from dialogue.”
The Pakistani leader again accused Afghanistan of acting as a proxy for India by sheltering militant groups.
“Stop being used by another country as a battlefield for their ambitions,” he said.
Zardari cited a recent report from the United Nations Security Council’s monitoring team that described the presence of militant groups in Afghanistan as an extra-regional threat.
