The government of Punjab has started closing quarantine centers across the province, including six in Lahore, following a change in the policy under which the suspected Covid-19 patients were earlier required to quarantine at these centres. Under the new policy, those arriving at Lahore and other airports from abroad are just being screened through thermal scanners rather than tested on the spot.
The global leader in business and financial data, Bloomberg, speculates Army is slowly tightening its grip in Pakistan and is unofficially back in control. With Imran Khan’s dwindling popularity and more than a dozen military officials in prominent government roles, the idea seems plausible to many. Military has certainly been Pakistan’s most important institution, but the supporters of “New Pakistan” had not envisioned this.
A day after PML-N Secretary-General, Ahsan Iqbal tested positive for COVID-19, Opposition Leader in National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif has also tested positive for the virus. The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president has quarantined himself at his residence in Model Town, Lahore. A PML-N leader claimed that Shehbaz had not met anyone except for his appearance before the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on June 9.
The Paris Club of creditor nations have agreed to suspend debt service payments from Pakistan, Chad, Ethiopia and the Republic of Congo as part of a G20 debt relief deal, the group said. The latest agreements bring to 12 the number of countries to receive debt relief under the deal with a total of $1.1 billion in debt deferred as a result.
Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Dr Zafar Mirza has undermined the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) statement regarding COVID-19 in Pakistan by saying the organisation is only looking through a “health lens”. Mirza stated government, on the other hand, is pursuing a “holistic strategy to combat the coronavirus”. His remarks came after WHO recommended imposing an “intermittent lockdown” in Pakistan.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said Pakistan has been ranked among the top 10 countries in the world reporting the highest number of new cases of Covid-19. In a letter to the four provinces, WHO stated Pakistan did not meet any of the prerequisites for opening of the lockdown and advised to observe a strict two-week lockdown.
Daren Sammy is calling out the racism he experienced while playing in Indian Premier League (IPL). Sammy took to Instagram to express his outrage upon realising the term ‘kallu’ was not a praise like he had assumed. “I just learnt what Kallu meant when I played for Sunrisers in IPL. They called me and Perera by that name. I thought it meant Strong Stallion.”
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb has tested positive for the coronavirus, party leader Ahsan Iqbal revealed in a Tweet. Aurangzeb’s mother is also reported to have tested positive for the infection. On Monday, Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed and PTIA MNA Jai Prakash, former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi tested positive for coronavirus.
Rubina Ashraf’s daughter, Minna Tariq, has refuted all reports claiming her mother is critically ill due to coronavirus. Minna revealed that her mother is fine and recovering well and asked people to avoid spreading rumors. “Please pray for her speedy recovery,” Mina wrote on her Instagram story. Following Ashraf’s diagnosis, social media was abuzz with rumours the actor was hospitalized.
Norwegian scientist Birger Sørensen’s claim that novel coronavirus was lab made have been dismissed by scientific and intelligence experts. Sørensen and British professor Angus Dalgleish claimed the coronavirus’s spike protein contains sequences that appear to be artificially inserted. Virologists, however, note that similar sections appear naturally in other viruses. Intelligence sources from Britain’s MI5 dismissed the idea as “rumor and conspiracy”.