ISLAMABAD: The World Economic Forum (WEF) has announced November 25 as ‘Pakistan Strategy Day’ to commemorate the country's “successful policies against Covid-19,” a senior member of the Pakistani ruling party said on Tuesday.
After a peak of over 6,800 daily infections in June, the number fell to a low of 213 in August, and remained below 700 for most of the last three months. But in the last few weeks, infections have picked up again, with a second wave of the virus gathering momentum.
On Tuesday, Pakistan reported its highest single-day spike in COVID-19 cases since July 8, with 2,954 new cases and 48 deaths reported in the last 24 hours, according to a government portal.
“In a move to acknowledge PM [prime minister] Imran Khan's successful policies against Covid19, World Economic Forum @wef has announced to celebrate #PakistanStrategyDay’ on November 25,” Faisal Javed Khan, a senator from Khan’s ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party said on Twitter. “This is yet another endorsement of Pak's brilliant strategy of handling both Corona & Economy. Massive success.”
Pakistan's strategy and success will be showcased as a case study to the world. PM @ImranKhanPTI will be the Chief Guest at the #PakistanStrategyDay by @wef being celebrated tomr #Alhamdulillah Other intl forums had also stressed upon the fact that the world must learn from Pak
— Faisal Javed Khan (@FaisalJavedKhan) November 24, 2020
“Pakistan's strategy and success will be showcased as a case study to the world,” the senator added. “PM @ImranKhanPTI will be the Chief Guest at the #PakistanStrategyDay … Other intl forums had also stressed upon the fact that the world must learn from Pak.”
As cases have increased, earlier this month, the government of PM Khan ruled out a complete lockdown and decided to continue a “smart lockdown” policy with strict implementation of safety guidelines given by the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) - the federal government’s central body dealing with the pandemic. However, the government announced closing all schools and colleges until January.
The country’s last comprehensive lockdown was lifted in May.
Several huge religious and anti-government public rallies have been held in major cities in recent weeks, raising fears about the spread of the virus.
In September, World Health Organisation (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus had also praised Pakistan for successfully suppressing coronavirus cases in the country, saying Pakistan had reinforced the lesson that saving the economy and fighting the virus could go “hand-in-hand.”
After imposing lockdowns in March, a steady decline in coronavirus cases since June led Pakistan to reopen nearly all sectors of the economy last month as well as wedding halls and universities and schools in September.
“Community health workers who have been trained to go door-to-door vaccinating children against polio have been redeployed and utilised for surveillance, contact tracing and care,” Ghebreyesus said in an op-ed in The Independent. “This has suppressed the virus so that, as the country stabilises, the economy is also now picking up once again. Reinforcing the lesson that the choice is not between controlling the virus or saving the economy; the two go hand-in-hand.”
