PML-N president Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday demanded of the government to hold the Council of Common Interests (CCI) meeting on daily basis to ensure a uniform action against the coronavirus.

In a statement, Shehbaz said the federal government must also ensure the supply of PPE [Personal Protection Equipment] and other necessary items to doctors, nurses and other medical workers as well as the provinces.

He expressed his serious concerns over the sudden rise in the number of people infected by the coronavirus during the last two days. It would be too late if the government continued considering the virus just a “trend”, Shehbaz warned.

The PML-N president said ignoring the provinces was a criminal act and the height of callousness, adding that the provinces had requested for the protective gear in February but Prime Minister Imran Khan refused.

Shehbaz said the government wasn’t able to do even the basic work, adding that the situation would not have reached the current stage if Rs2.5 billion were released to Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Kashmir and the four provincial governments.

He said the provinces were calling for help but the federal government didn’t act. The prime minister and his cabinet showed criminal negligence by not fixing the prices of daily use items, Shehbaz said, adding that the government did not have any strategy to address the issues related to and the consequences of lockdown.

NAB-Niazi nexus going after opposition leader once again: PML-N

The PML-N on Wednesday said the NAB-Niazi nexus was once again going after the opposition and the leader of opposition.

The people are not the government’s priority, it is targeting the political opponents, it added.

PML-N president Shehbaz Sharif chaired a meeting of party leaders via video link, which was attended by Ahsan Iqbal, Rana Sanaullah. Amir Muqam, Miftah Ismail, Abdul Qadir Baloch and others.

During the meeting, they briefed Shehbaz on the coronavirus situation in their respective provinces.

Amir Muqam said there was only one screening centre in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Only 600 tests were conducted in the provinces out of which 214 had been positive.

He said the hospitals were in a deplorable condition in the province and there was no government or its strategy to fight pandemic.

Shehbaz asked them to submit proposals on the issue, saying the party had distributed masks and protective kits among doctors and paramedical staff in Punjab, while some were also sent to Balochistan.