ISLAMABAD: Health ministers of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) took part in a video conference organized by Pakistan on Thursday to discuss coronavirus response in the region.
Pakistan’s Foreign Office said in a statement after the meeting that all member states and the SAARC secretary general, Esala Ruwan Weerakoon of Sri Lanka, participated in the virtual session chaired by Dr. Zafar Mirza, the Pakistani prime minister’s special assistant on public health.
SAARC comprises Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. It came into being in 1985 with a stated purpose of regional and economic integration.
Sharing Pakistan’s perspective, Dr. Mirza underscored South Asia’s vulnerability to the pandemic on account of its high population density, fragile health systems and rudimentary disease surveillance, according to the statement.
“Issues including real-time sharing of information and clinical data, capacity building and training of medical and paramedical staff, supply of medicines and medical equipment, research coordination and enhancing cooperation with frontline international organizations including the WHO (World Health Organization) came under discussion,” the statement read.
Proposals to fast-track creation of linkages among medical universities, academia and research institutions came under review. Pakistan proposed greater coordination among health authorities of SAARC member states and activating the SAARC Technical Committee on Health and Population Activities, the statement said, “It was agreed to enhance cooperation in the health sector, particularly in the context of efforts to combat the virus at the regional level.”
On March 15, SAARC leaders held an online meeting on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call to devise a joint strategy to control the spread of coronavirus in the region.
At the online meeting, Modi proposed creating a COVID-19 emergency fund to be used by South Asian nations to combat the spread of the disease.
Pakistan on April 9 pledged $3 million toward the SAARC COVID-19 Emergency Fund to support regional efforts in the fight against coronavirus.
Pakistan hosts SAARC video conference on COVID-19
https://arab.news/cgrpy
Pakistan hosts SAARC video conference on COVID-19
- All member states participated in the virtual meeting
- Countries agreed to enhance cooperation in the health sector to combat the virus at the regional level
Pakistan Navy seizes $3 million of narcotics in Arabian Sea under regional security patrol
- Official statement says the haul was made during an anti-narcotics operation conducted by PNS Yamama
- Seizure comes after a record haul of nearly $972 million was reported in the North Arabian Sea in October
KARACHI: Pakistan Navy said on Sunday a patrol vessel operating in the Arabian Sea had seized 1,500 kg of narcotics, the latest interdiction under a regional maritime security deployment aimed at curbing illicit activity along key shipping routes.
The operation took place under the Regional Maritime Security Patrol (RMSP), a Pakistan-led initiative that deploys naval assets across the Arabian Sea and adjoining waters to deter smuggling, piracy and other non-traditional security threats.
The framework combines independent patrols with coordination involving regional and international partners.
“Pakistan Navy Ship Yamama, while deployed on Regional Maritime Security Patrol in the Arabian Sea, successfully conducted an anti-narcotics operation, leading to the seizure of 1,500 kilograms of hashish valued at approximately 3 million US dollars,” the Navy said.
The interdiction, it added, underscored the force’s “unwavering commitment to combating illicit activities and ensuring security in the maritime domain.”
Pakistan Navy said it routinely undertakes RMSP missions to safeguard national maritime interests through “robust vigilance and effective presence at sea,” and continues to play a proactive role in collaborative maritime-security efforts with other regional navies.
The seizure comes amid heightened counter-narcotics activity at sea.
In October, a Pakistani vessel seized a haul worth nearly $972 million in what authorities described as one of the largest drug seizures ever reported in the North Arabian Sea.
Last month, Pakistan Navy units operating under a Saudi Arabia-led multinational task force seized about 2,000 kg of methamphetamine, valued at roughly $130 million, highlighting the role of regional cooperation in disrupting trafficking networks.
