PM can more easily dissolve government than compromise his mission: Asad Umar

Planning and Development Minister Asad Umar has shared an interesting anecdote to explain that Prime Minister Imran Khan will dissolve the assembly if it comes in the way of his vision for the country.

Sharing a short clip from a talk show on Twitter on Saturday, the federal minister said: "I was asked if Imran Khan can dissolve the assembly, see the answer in this clip. Imran Khan is not a politician, he is a leader."

"He never came into politics for power. Power is only a means of serving the people," the federal minister asserted.

Umar shared an incident from the time when the now ruling PTI had a coalition government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).

"There was a group comprising 10-12 people protesting against the government. The prime minister called me in a meeting where he planned to address the issues raised by the protesters. He called for a pen and a paper to literally note down all their concerns," Umar narrated the incident.

But by the end of the meeting, Asad Umar quoted the premier as saying: "If anybody thinks they can fulfill their demands by blackmailing me, I will break the government today, not tomorrow."

The minister said that the premier will undoubtedly curtail his time as a prime minister if he feels that his vision to serve the people is not being accomplished.

"The man doesn't want power but wants to serve his people," Umar stressed.

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PM can more easily dissolve government than compromise his mission: Asad Umar

Planning and Development Minister Asad Umar has shared an interesting anecdote to explain that Prime Minister Imran Khan will dissolve the assembly if it comes in the way of his vision for the country.

Sharing a short clip from a talk show on Twitter on Saturday, the federal minister said: "I was asked if Imran Khan can dissolve the assembly, see the answer in this clip. Imran Khan is not a politician, he is a leader."

"He never came into politics for power. Power is only a means of serving the people," the federal minister asserted.

Umar shared an incident from the time when the now ruling PTI had a coalition government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).

"There was a group comprising 10-12 people protesting against the government. The prime minister called me in a meeting where he planned to address the issues raised by the protesters. He called for a pen and a paper to literally note down all their concerns," Umar narrated the incident.

But by the end of the meeting, Asad Umar quoted the premier as saying: "If anybody thinks they can fulfill their demands by blackmailing me, I will break the government today, not tomorrow."

The minister said that the premier will undoubtedly curtail his time as a prime minister if he feels that his vision to serve the people is not being accomplished.

"The man doesn't want power but wants to serve his people," Umar stressed.

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Pakistan records 146 more death, 4,696 more people infected across country

The Covid-19 pandemic claimed 146 more lives across Pakistan over the last 24 hours, taking the death toll from the disease to 17,957.

According to the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) data, 4,696 new infections were detected when 48,740 samples were tested during this period. The positivity rate of new cases was recorded at 9.63%, the NCOC said.

The countrywide tally of confirmed cases climbed to 825,519 with the addition of 4,696 new cases. Thus far, 717,009 patients have recuperated from the disease.
The number of Covid-19 patients in critical care across the country has climbed to 5,490.

Thus far, Punjab has reported 303,182, Sindh 283,560, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 118,413, Islamabad 754,98, Balochistan 22,369, Azad Jammu and Kashmir 17,187 and Gilgit Baltistan 5,310.

Earlier, NCOC chief Asad Umar said the number of critical Covid-19 patients on oxygen reached 5,360 on Thursday. “This is 57% more than the peak last June,” he said in series of tweets.

“Alhamdulillah [we] have so far managed to cope with this huge increase because of proactively building capacity of the entire system from oxygen production to beds,” he added.

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Pakistan records 146 more death, 4,696 more people infected across country

The Covid-19 pandemic claimed 146 more lives across Pakistan over the last 24 hours, taking the death toll from the disease to 17,957.

According to the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) data, 4,696 new infections were detected when 48,740 samples were tested during this period. The positivity rate of new cases was recorded at 9.63%, the NCOC said.

The countrywide tally of confirmed cases climbed to 825,519 with the addition of 4,696 new cases. Thus far, 717,009 patients have recuperated from the disease.
The number of Covid-19 patients in critical care across the country has climbed to 5,490.

Thus far, Punjab has reported 303,182, Sindh 283,560, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 118,413, Islamabad 754,98, Balochistan 22,369, Azad Jammu and Kashmir 17,187 and Gilgit Baltistan 5,310.

Earlier, NCOC chief Asad Umar said the number of critical Covid-19 patients on oxygen reached 5,360 on Thursday. “This is 57% more than the peak last June,” he said in series of tweets.

“Alhamdulillah [we] have so far managed to cope with this huge increase because of proactively building capacity of the entire system from oxygen production to beds,” he added.

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Pakistan coping with increase in critical Covid patients, next few weeks crucial: Asad

Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar said on Friday that Pakistan has so far managed to cope with the increase in critical care Covid-19 patients by proactively building the capacity of the entire system.

In a series of tweets, the federal minister said that the total number of critical care patients who were being provided oxygen had reached 5,360 on Thursday.

"This is a 57 per cent more than the peak in June 2020," he said, adding that so far this increase had been handled due to "proactively building capacity of the entire system from oxygen production to beds".

"Total oxygen production operational capacity in Pakistan last year was 487 tonnes per day. It has been increased to 798 tonnes," said Umar, adding that actual production had increased from 465 tonnes last June to 725 tonnes currently.

"We also imported 19,200 oxygen cylinders last year to ensure distribution."

He stated that because of the steps taken by the federal and provincial governments the tight oxygen supply situation seen last June was not being witnessed again, despite an increase of more than 2,000 critical patients requiring oxygen compared to the previous peak in June.

"Continuing to build [oxygen] capacity, in yesterday's National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) [session] it was decided to import 6,000 tonnes of oxygen, 5,000 cylinders and 20 cryogenic tanks."

The federal minister stated that this "proactive decision-making" had helped Pakistan avoid the kind of situation being witnessed in other countries.

"[The] bedrock of this proactive decision-making has been a data-based forward-looking analytical approach, [a] nationally coordinated effort with a whole of the nation approach and [the] hard work of dedicated teams who have continued to steer the effort through this difficult challenge."

However, he cautioned that the "challenge is not over and is in fact is continuing to increase".

He added that the need for following precautions and Covid-19 standard operating procedures was "vital at this point in time" and the next few weeks were "critical".

"No system can cope if we allow the disease to spread rapidly."

On Thursday, the NCOC had also decided to shut down the scrap industry of Misri Shah so that oxygen could be diverted to the healthcare sector instead.

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Dr Faisal Sultan had said on Tuesday that a special NCOC committee was monitoring the oxygen situation in the country and trying to improve it. Asking the public to "trust" decisions taken by the NCOC, he had said the forum was working to increase the capacity of hospitals.

"Existing oxygen plants are being monitored and we are looking at additional plants. The [Pakistan] Steel Mills plant was also talked about so it is being looked at. We have also diverted [oxygen supply] from non-essential industries."

Minister for Energy Hammad Azhar had also said the government was "exploring all options" to arrange additional supplies of oxygen for the country. Azhar had said in a tweet that the ministry of industries had started working with private oxygen manufacturers to enhance production capacity after the pandemic's first wave last year.

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Nato begins withdrawal from Afghanistan

Nato has started the withdrawal of its mission from Afghanistan following a decision by President Joe Biden to bring US forces home, an alliance official said on Thursday.

“Nato Allies decided in mid-April to start the withdrawal of Resolute Support Mission forces by May 1 and this withdrawal has begun. This will be an orderly, coordinated, and deliberate process,” a Nato official said.

Members of the US-backed alliance agreed this month to wrap up their 9,600-strong mission in Afghanistan after Biden made the call to end Washington’s longest war.

The decision — which delayed by several months a deadline agreed by former US leader Donald Trump — came despite fears it could allow the Taliban to regain power in the country.

The Nato official said the safety of the alliance’s troops “will be a top priority every step of the way, and we are taking all necessary measures to keep our personnel from harm”.

“Any Taliban attacks during the withdrawal will be met with a forceful response. We plan to have our withdrawal completed within a few months,” the official said, refusing to give any further details on the timeline.

Biden said the US withdrawal would be completed by Sept 11, the twentieth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on America that sparked its military involvement in Afghanistan.

Germany’s defence ministry has said it planned to get its 1,300 troops out of the country by early July.

Nato’s training and support mission, which includes around 2,500 US troops and relies heavily on Washington’s military assets, has personnel from 36 alliance member nations and partner countries.

The US has said it is temporarily deploying extra troops to protect international forces as they withdraw and has prolonged the presence of an aircraft carrier in the region to support the pull-out.

Trump struck a deal with the Taliban last year that was meant to see US and allied troops leave Afghanistan by the start of May provided attacks decreased and peace talks progressed.

Biden decided to call time on the two-decade deployment of troops despite insurgent violence flaring and negotiations between the Taliban and the Kabul government stalling.

The US insists it has achieved its aim of stopping Afghanistan serving as a “haven for terrorists” after uprooting Al Qaeda networks, and says it risks a never-ending military involvement if it does not pull out.

Top US general Mark Milley said it was not possible to predict Afghanistan’s fate after the withdrawal and warned of a “worst-case” outcome of a government collapse.

But along with its fellow Nato members, Washington insists it remains committed to Afghanistan.

“Nato Allies and partners will continue to stand with Afghanistan, its people, and its institutions in promoting security and upholding the gains of the last 20 years,” the alliance said in a statement last month.

“Withdrawing our troops does not mean ending our relationship with Afghanistan. Rather, this will be the start of a new chapter.”

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Pakistan coping with increase in critical Covid patients, next few weeks crucial: Asad

Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar said on Friday that Pakistan has so far managed to cope with the increase in critical care Covid-19 patients by proactively building the capacity of the entire system.

In a series of tweets, the federal minister said that the total number of critical care patients who were being provided oxygen had reached 5,360 on Thursday.

"This is a 57 per cent more than the peak in June 2020," he said, adding that so far this increase had been handled due to "proactively building capacity of the entire system from oxygen production to beds".

"Total oxygen production operational capacity in Pakistan last year was 487 tonnes per day. It has been increased to 798 tonnes," said Umar, adding that actual production had increased from 465 tonnes last June to 725 tonnes currently.

"We also imported 19,200 oxygen cylinders last year to ensure distribution."

He stated that because of the steps taken by the federal and provincial governments the tight oxygen supply situation seen last June was not being witnessed again, despite an increase of more than 2,000 critical patients requiring oxygen compared to the previous peak in June.

"Continuing to build [oxygen] capacity, in yesterday's National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) [session] it was decided to import 6,000 tonnes of oxygen, 5,000 cylinders and 20 cryogenic tanks."

The federal minister stated that this "proactive decision-making" had helped Pakistan avoid the kind of situation being witnessed in other countries.

"[The] bedrock of this proactive decision-making has been a data-based forward-looking analytical approach, [a] nationally coordinated effort with a whole of the nation approach and [the] hard work of dedicated teams who have continued to steer the effort through this difficult challenge."

However, he cautioned that the "challenge is not over and is in fact is continuing to increase".

He added that the need for following precautions and Covid-19 standard operating procedures was "vital at this point in time" and the next few weeks were "critical".

"No system can cope if we allow the disease to spread rapidly."

On Thursday, the NCOC had also decided to shut down the scrap industry of Misri Shah so that oxygen could be diverted to the healthcare sector instead.

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Dr Faisal Sultan had said on Tuesday that a special NCOC committee was monitoring the oxygen situation in the country and trying to improve it. Asking the public to "trust" decisions taken by the NCOC, he had said the forum was working to increase the capacity of hospitals.

"Existing oxygen plants are being monitored and we are looking at additional plants. The [Pakistan] Steel Mills plant was also talked about so it is being looked at. We have also diverted [oxygen supply] from non-essential industries."

Minister for Energy Hammad Azhar had also said the government was "exploring all options" to arrange additional supplies of oxygen for the country. Azhar had said in a tweet that the ministry of industries had started working with private oxygen manufacturers to enhance production capacity after the pandemic's first wave last year.

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