Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif on Friday urged the government to summon an emergency session of the Council of Common Interests to deal with the coronavirus infection a couple of days after the first cases of the virus emerged in Pakistan.

In a statement, Shehbaz said that it was distressing how the government had not come up with a clear strategy to contain the virus. He urged all parties to play a responsible role to ensure that citizens remain protected from the virus.

“A campaign should be run for the safety and security of citizens,” he said, urging companies who manufacture masks and make medicines, to play a national role during the crisis. The PML-N leader urged these companies to refrain from making profits at the cost of people’s lives.

“To make a profit at the cost of human lives is the biggest injustice,” he said. “The government should ensure masks are distributed for free or at a minimal cost.”

Saying that no risks could be afforded when it comes to dealing with the coronavirus, he said that there was a growing concern that the crisis will not be dealt with as the government had proven to be negligent when dealing with polio and dengue viruses.

He called on the government to take steps to ensure the implementation of special coronavirus precautionary measures in schools across the country.