By Prof. Engr. Zamir Ahmed Awan
As a gesture of solidarity with the people of India in the wake of the current wave of COVID-19, Pakistan has offered to provide relief support to India including ventilators, Bi PAP, digital X-ray machines, PPEs, and related items.
The concerned authorities of Pakistan and India can work out modalities for quick delivery of the relief items. They can also explore possible ways of further cooperation to mitigate the challenges posed by the Pandemic.
The prominent philanthropist Mr. Faisal Edhi, the managing trustee of the Edhi Foundation, wrote a letter to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and offered to send ambulances and medical staff to help the Indian Government as coronavirus cases continue to spike in India.
Pakistani social media users on Friday urged Prime Minister Imran Khan to lend support to India as the country scrambled for supplies of Oxygen and other emergency aid amid a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic. Hashtags like #IndiaNeedsOxygen were trending on Pakistani Twitter, with users requesting that Khan’s Government put aside its political differences and help India tide over the coronavirus crisis.
On Saturday, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan expressed solidarity with the people of India battling the deadly wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic, saying, “We must fight this global challenge confronting humanity together.”
According to Worldometer, the worldwide Coronavirus Cases reached: 147,093,493, with death toll of 3,113,346 (which may increase over time). At the same time, India ranked second hardest hit the country, just after the USA, with a number of coronavirus cases: 16,960,172, and a death toll of 192,311. The alarming situation is that the number of new cases has increased as much as 300,000 plus daily and the death toll up to 2000 plus. Indian health sector experts predict the number of new cases may reach 500,000 plus daily and the death rate up to 3000 plus.
The scenario is rather grave as the population of India is almost 1.2 billion, and the country is passing through the worst economic crisis, inadequate health care facilities, lack of awareness, shortage of hos[pitals, and a severe shortage of Oxygen. India is a country with the capacity to manufacture the vaccine. Still, it has exported most of its production to around 80 countries globally, which has created a shortage in the domestic market. Even India has over-exported Oxygen, making a severe shortage in the domestic market. Now more people are dying due to the unavailability of Oxygen.
Moreover, India politicized the Pandemic and ignored its minorities and lower caste population, which constitutes an overwhelming majority. India is a caste-based society, where the upper class (ruling elite) Brahmans are only eight percent, but avail all facilities and enjoy priority in all respect. The poor public, which is almost 92 %, are deprived of many privileges and scarcity of health care services.
India has mistreated its minorities, and low castes kept them away from vaccines, and other healthcare facilities, which caused the virus to get out of control and facing disastrous challenges today. The extremist and discriminatory policies of PM Modi’s Government pushed the nation into a severe crisis.
Pakistan is rival to Indian extremist policies but cares about human lives. Pakistan is a genetically peace-loving nation with open hearts and minds. The public in Pakistan cares about the human suffering in India and pressing hard for the Pakistani Government to help India at this critical moment.
The leadership of Pakistan thinks above politics and cares about humanity. It understood the worth of human lives and wanted to rescue human lives in India. Although Pakistan is also passing difficult situations, despite its limited resources, it wanted to help India as much as possible.
As a matter of fact, the Pandemic is such a massive challenge to humankind that no single country can overcome. It requires collective efforts to defeat the Pandemic. Pakistan is always willing to contribute its due share. In the case of India, Pakistan is among the first few countries to reach India for humanitarian assistance and relief. Pakistan has a track record of assisting humankind in difficult times globally.
It is appealed to the Indian Government to relax its restrictions unilaterally imposed on Pakistan regarding travel and trade so that humanitarian aid may reach the needy peole in India quickly and promptly.
Author: Prof. Engr. Zamir Ahmed Awan, Sinologist (ex-Diplomat), Editor, Analyst, Non-Resident Fellow of CCG (Center for China and Globalization), National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Islamabad, Pakistan.
(The views expressed in this article belong only to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy or views of World Geostrategic Insights).