ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has offered “relief support” to India as hospitals in the neighbouring nation begged for oxygen supplies on Saturday and coronavirus infections soared, setting a new world record for cases for the third consecutive day.
India is in the grip of a 'tsunami' of disease in its second wave, with the number of cases across the country of around 1.3 billion rising overnight by 346,786, for a total of 16.6 million cases, including 189,544 deaths. The government has deployed military planes and trains to get oxygen to Delhi from far corners of the country and abroad, including Singapore.
"As a gesture of solidarity with the people of India in the wake of the current wave of COVID-19, Pakistan has offered to provide relief support to India,” the Pakistani foreign office said, including ventilators, BiPap machines that can help push air into the lungs, digital X ray machines, personal protective equipment and related items.
“Concerned authorities of Pakistan and India can work out modalities for quick delivery of the relief items,” the statement said. “They can also explore possible ways of further cooperation to mitigate the challenges posed by the pandemic.”
Foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi tweeted: "We believe in a policy of #HumanityFirst."
“As a gesture of solidarity with the people of India in the wake of the current wave of #COVID19, Pakistan has officially offered relief & support to #India, including ventilators, Bi PAP, digital X ray machines, PPEs & other related items. We believe in a policy of #HumanityFirst”
Earlier on Saturday, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan tweeted in solidarity with the people of India:
#IndiaNeedsOxygen and #PakistanStandsWithIndia have been top Twitter trends in Pakistan since Thursday.
Hospitals in Delhi have gone to the city's high court this week seeking it to order state and federal governments to make emergency arrangements for medical supplies, mainly oxygen.
"It's a tsunami. How are we trying to build capacity?" the Delhi high court asked the state and federal governments in response to the plea.
