PM Says He Would Have Never Allowed Lockdown Had Provinces Asked Him
Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that he would have never allowed such a countrywide lockdown, if the provincial governments had asked him in the first place. Social media users are taking a dig at the premier for making such a remark on a ‘much-needed’ lockdown.
PM Imran, while speaking at a ceremony held in Islamabad for the launch Ehsaas initiatives, said: “The decisions were taken in panic due to the pandemic. India where the Modi government enforced a complete lockdown with the statistics now showing that another 34 per cent chunk of the population had been pushed below the poverty line.”
The premier added that the upcoming month of July would be difficult in terms of coronavirus cases and deaths. While speaking about the Ehsaas program, PM Imran said the policy of soft lockdown and relief program had contributed a lot towards reducing the severity of the pandemic.
The said remarks of the premier have generated an outrage on Twitter. Journalist Benazir Shah said, “If the provinces had asked me I would never have let such a lockdown be imposed, said Prime Minister Imran Khan earlier today. All of a sudden there was panic… that there is an outbreak. They were looking at Europe.”
If the provinces had asked me I would never have let such a lockdown be imposed, said Prime Minister Imran Khan earlier today.
“All of a sudden there was panic… that there is an outbreak. They were looking at Europe.”
— Benazir Shah (@Benazir_Shah) June 22, 2020
#FollowSOPsSaveLives
The lockdown order actually came from the country’s provincial governments, which have considerable decisionmaking authority, and in spite of objections from Prime Minister Imran Khan (as he himself reminds the country).— Naeem-ul-hasnat (میں باغی ہوں) (@naeem989) June 22, 2020
Another Twitter user said that the prime minister was trying to shift the blame on provinces. “Remember not very long ago when WHO recommended strict lockdown & Punjab approached PM for consultation, he vehemently rejected the proposal,” she added.
Imran Khan says had provinces consulted him on lockdown measures, things would have been better.
He is trying to shift blame now. Remember not very long ago when WHO recommended strict lockdown & Punjab approached PM for consultation, he vehemently rejected the proposal.
— Maleeha Manzoor (@MaleehaManzoor) June 22, 2020
Further confirms the claims by TIME magazine (recent) & NY Times (months back) that Imran Khan was against lockdown but Pakistan Army gave backing to provinces for lockdown. https://t.co/uKhs0RrOKM
— Naveed Nadeem (@naveednadeem91) June 22, 2020
It wasn't provinces but DG Ispr who announced the lockdown. @ImranKhanPTI as usual pissing at wrong tree. https://t.co/ROQgOY4WJW
— Name cannot be blank. (@wiqi) June 23, 2020
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Only an idiot would ask IK … the coke has permanently damaged the brain!