ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has said that prime minister did not say the lockdown was enforced by “elites”.
“What happens in politics sometimes is that you are quoted out of context,” Qureshi said. “PM did not say elites enforced lockdown, I shall clarify.”
Qureshi went on to say the PM meant that while the upper class can afford to stay in lockdown, the poor cannot afford this luxury.
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has criticized the opposition for blaming the government for the delay in calling a National Assembly session.
He said that the session was delayed because consensus could not be reached with the opposition since many members were against holding one. Even the deputy chairperson of the Senate, a prominent leader of the PPP, was against the idea, Qureshi said.
“First develop consensus within your own ranks,” the foreign minister said.
He said: “The real solution is a vaccine but that will take time. Until the real solution comes, we have to see how we can control the spread of the virus.”
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi responded to criticism from opposition benches in Senate, saying the prime minister was in Islamabad and was working day and night to fight the war against Covid-19.
Qureshi negated PPP’s Sherry Rehman’s claims that the government did not have a unified policy.
Speaking before the Senate, Qureshi said that the prime minister held meetings with provincial chief executives every day and heard everyone.
“There is no confusion, the policy is clear,” he said. “A national strategy has been created and they (opposition) have a hand in formulating it, we value their input.”
