Federal govt pursuing sustainable uplift agenda for Sindh: President Alvi

KARACHI: President Dr Arif Alvi on Saturday said that the federal government is pursuing a sustainable development agenda for Sindh and stressed the need to ensure the participation of the people of Sindh for achieving the goals of social development and sustainable management of resources for poverty alleviation.

The president highly appreciated the efforts of the federal government for the development schemes for Karachi and other districts of the province.

Chairing a meeting on the Covid-19 situation and development projects in Sindh, at the Sindh Governor House, President Dr Alvi expressed concern over the violations of Covid-19 standard operating procedures (SOPs) across the country.

He said the compliance of the guidelines was immensely important to prevent the fourth wave of the coronavirus and reduce its negative effects.

The guidelines of the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) were not followed on the occasion of Eid prayers at the Faisal Mosque, Islamabad and the Covid-19 SOPs were being ignored.

He also advised the people that they should vaccinate themselves against the coronavirus as soon as possible and also strictly observe the NCOC guidelines to stop further spread of the pandemic.

The president urged for the need to play a role by the people in these testing times and take precautionary measures against the coronavirus during their gatherings.

Sindh Governor Imran Ismail should convene a meeting of Ulema and scholars before the holy month of Muharram-ul-Haram to ensure observance of Covid-19 SOPs during the gatherings, including religious congregations, he said.

Federal Minister for Planning and Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar also gave a detailed briefing on the situation of the fourth wave of coronavirus in the country.

Umar said that there are clear signs of the beginning of the fourth wave of coronavirus in the country, adding that the number of coronavirus cases is on the rise due to poor compliance of the Covid-19 SOPs and also the arrival of Delta variant of the coronavirus in the country.

The government is pursuing a two-pronged strategy to prevent the spread of coronavirus, he said, adding that the NCOC guidelines to prevent the further spread of Covid-19 will be strictly enforced in big cities, especially at the tourists’ destinations.

People are being encouraged to wear face masks, avoid crowded places, and get vaccinated against the coronavirus, Umar added.