Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Dr Zafar Mirza on Saturday, called for an end to the lockdown imposed in India-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, given the threats posed by the coronavirus pandemic. While addressing the heads of member states, Mirza noted that while the novel coronavirus has been declared a pandemic, “it has been deemed controllable as well”. He acknowledged that the South Asian region, which houses several mega-cities and one-fifth of the world’s population, was at risk of the virus spreading further as each of the Saarc countries has reported positive cases. A video conference of leaders of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is underway to chalk out a joint strategy for curbing the spread of coronavirus in the region. Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Dr. Zafar Mirza is representing Pakistan in the conference, while Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, Bangladesh Prime Minister Hasina Wajid, Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and other South Asian leaders are participating in the event.