ISLAMABAD: As positive cases and daily death tolls in Pakistan continue to rise, the federal ministry of interior issued a notification on Sunday for the deployment of the armed forces to enforce coronavirus-related standard operating procedures (SOPs) in Punjab, Gilgit-Baltistan, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and the Islamabad Capital Territory. The notification conferred under Article 245 does not apply to southern Sindh province.
In a video message on Sunday, Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid said the provinces may call in the armed forces ‘as per their needs,’ and added that the decision had been taken keeping in view the devastating health crisis across the border in India, which set a world record earlier this week for its number of daily positive cases.
The army has stood with the people in times of floods, earthquakes and other natural disasters, Rashid said, and added that it was during Friday’s meeting of NCC, which oversees the country’s coronavirus response, that it was decided to seek the army’s services to enforce SOPs.
On Friday, while ruling out an immediate lockdown, Prime Minister Imran Khan announced he had asked the army to assist law enforcement officials in enforcing COVID-19 protocols. He said Pakistan could soon be facing a situation similar to India if the current trend continued.
“I am asking you to follow SOPs so that we don’t have to take steps that India is taking which means imposing lockdowns. Half the problem is solved when you wear face masks,” the Prime Minister appealed to the public.
