Daily Times

Provincial Minister for Information and Local Government Sindh Syed Nasir Hussain Shah on Friday said that the Sindh government has placed an order for an immediate purchase of 2 million cansino bio-vaccines doses.

He said that the Sindh government would procure more dozes by cutting development and other expenditures so that the entire population of the province could be protected from this deadly disease.

The Provincial Minister revealed this at a press conference here on Friday, during which he was accompanied by Sindh Chief Minister’s Adviser on Law and Spokesperson Sindh Government Barrister Murtaza Wahab and Parliamentary Secretary for Health MPA Qasim Siraj Soomro were also present on the occasion.

Information Minister Shah said that the Sindh Chief Minister had not proposed a complete lockdown in the NCOC meeting held on 31st March. He said his government only suggested a ban on the inter-provincial movement of transport.

The Minister said that the covid positive cases are increasing on an alarming level in the country, and today a provincial task force meeting was held under the chair of Sindh Chief Minister to discuss the situation, during which the Sindh health minister and WHO representative were also in attendance.

He said that the Sindh government was fully implementing decisions taken in the NCOC and strict measures were taken in the areas where the positivity rate is increasing. He said that Sindh education Minister has been tasked to convene a meeting to decide about the schools.

“Sindh government wanted to procure vaccine directly from China and allocated funds in this regard but due to delay in fixation of the price of the vaccine by DRAP, it was unable to purchase vaccine ,” he said. DRAP has now fixed the price of the vaccine, after which we have placed an order to procure 2 million doses,” he said.

Shah said that there were no reports from the federal government to buy the vaccine from its own funds and that it was dependent on vaccines donated by China.

He said that journalists are also front line workers and vaccination facilities would be provided to them at the Press Club at the Divisional Headquarters level.

Meanwhile, Law Advisor Barrister Wahab said the effects of the third wave of covid-19 have reached alarming levels in Punjab, Islamabad, KPK and Azad Kashmir, where the positive cases reached 14 to 15 per cent. Condition is better in Sindh and Balochistan he noted, adding that owing to which Sindh chief minister tried to persuade the prime minister to take tough decisions at the 31st March NCOC meeting .

He said that the Sindh government has been active in implementing covid SOPs in the province from day one. “ We have sought permission from the federal government for purchasing vaccines from private companies. We are doing everything we can do to protect our population,” he said.

Replying to the question, Nasir Hussain Shah said that the Sindh government was ready to hold local bodies’ elections and we have almost completed legislation to empower local bodies’ institutions.

In response to another question, he said that they welcome those who join the PPP. There are no criminal cases against those who joined the PPP. There is no laundry here. Clean and good reputation people from MQM are coming to our party. Our doors are open for them.

Separately, Shah said that the Sindh government is going to launch a campaign against stray dogs immediately. Currently Sindh government is working in collaboration with civil society and NGOs for vaccination of stray dogs. The opposition’s allegations are baseless. No funds have been set aside to neutralize dogs. He said that 40 senior officers of the local government department have been suspended for negligence.