PM Imran’s 'confused' statements on coronavirus prove he is in denial: Shehbaz

PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday said that the "confused" statements made by Prime Minister Imran Khan about the coronavirus outbreak show that he is in a state of denial which, he alleged, is leading to a rise in the deaths due to the deadly disease.

“Ministers are making announcements regarding deaths from the coronavirus but the statements from the premier are in total contradiction to those,” Shehbaz said, in a statement today.

The PML-N president said that the people are paying the price of this "confusion" with their lives.

He said that the opposition has pointed out this state of confusion and demanded a joint-strategy against the coronavirus.

Shehbaz said that this is no time to be "making excuses", rather a time to pull the nation out of the crisis.

“The result of wasting time and a lack of action is now surfacing in the form of citizens’ deaths,” he said.

While cautioning against the virus peaking in July, Shehbaz said that the Council of Common Interests and National Command and Operations Centre should make consolidated decisions.

The opposition leader said that keeping in view the gravity of the situation, emergency planning is the need of the hour.

He urged authorities to ensure that there is a smooth supply of oxygen cylinders, ventilators and medicines to the masses.

Shahbaz Gill swoops in

Shahbaz Gill, the premier's aide on political communication, responded by questioning the "confused" remarks by Shehbaz who said he was "born to poor parents".

"The honourable Mr Shehbaz Sharif says he was born to poor parents, whereas his father had wealth over generations," said Gill.

"Confused is the man who wears a mask while sitting in front of a laptop [for conference calls] and goes with an entourage of thieves for a NAB appearance," he added.

Gill, addressing Shehbaz, said that "his real aim was to confuse the people" which he will not succeed in.

He said that the premier had a clear-cut policy since the beginning of the outbreak which is "acknowledged the world over".

"Until a vaccine is developed, we have to plan our lives around the coronavirus."

The premier's aide, once more addressing Shehbaz, said that the people are not paying for any confusion, rather they are paying for "your corruption and looting of the country".

He said that Pakistan's cases are "declining since last week" and that the country "ranks high among countries with the greatest number of recoveries".

"You wish that a strict lockdown is imposed so that people not only die from the coronavirus but also from hunger and then you can engage in politicking," Gill said to Shehbaz.

"[Your remarks] are evidence of your frustration arising from being unsuccessful in such motives," he added.

PM sticks to stance on lockdown

A day earlier, Prime Minister Imran Khan defended his decision not to impose a complete lockdown once again, saying that Pakistan's circumstances were different from Wuhan city and Europe.

Speaking about the havoc that the coronavirus has wreaked on Pakistan's economy, the prime minister said that he had not been in favour of a lockdown such as that imposed by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The prime minister said that provinces should not have ordered a lockdown until they thought about the effects of the decision on the daily wagers and the poor.

Read more: 100% local transmission of COVID-19 in Islamabad: Official data

"However, everyone panicked all at once. They were looking at Europe and Wuhan City in China, that were going through different circumstances. Our situation was totally different," he added.

The prime minister spoke about how he is subjected to criticism for not imposing a complete lockdown across the country. "He [Modi] imposed the lockdown they [criticis] wanted me to impose. I thank God that I resisted pressure and didn't do that," he said, noting that 34% of the people in India were facing hunger and extreme poverty, according to research.  

As of Tuesday evening, the country recorded 186,598 cases of the virus and more than 3,700 deaths.