ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed on Monday rebuked the federal government over its measures to contain the coronavirus, declaring that “nothing is being done on ground”.
The apex court chief is currently hearing an appeal against the verdict announced by the Islamabad High Court (IHC), directing the government to grant bail to low-risk, under-trial prisoners (UTPs) during the pandemic.
At the outset of the hearing, the chief justice said that the government had closed the Out Patient Departments (OPDs) of all hospitals, leaving no place for patients to seek treatment at such a crucial time.
“Hospitals have been closed when we need them. Up till now, 10 hospitals with 1,000 beds each should have been made operational,” he said.
“Everyone is talking about funds, no one is doing anything. The public has been left at the mercy of God,” he remarked. The chief justice also criticised the government’s efforts to encourage people to stay indoors in order to curb the spread of the disease.
