Coronavirus and Pakistan
When the covid-19 started in china, Pakistan thought of it as a local epidemic. When it started slowly spreading to other countries, many conspiracy theories emerged in Pakistan. These theories disseminated faster than the virus. Many of them are bizarre, purely based on hatred. In this article, we will discuss them thoroughly one by one.
The first and most prevalent theory which was on the tongue of everybody in Pakistan was that there is a coronavirus. The government just wants to intimidate its people. Or the government is taking advantage of the pandemic situation in some manner, mostly for financial gain.
Some blamed the US for the Virus. They argued that China was about to become the superpower of the world. This was a direct threat to the US and its influence over the rest of the world. So, the US invented a virus in the lab and somehow transferred it to China. The US are the reason that the entire China is under strict lockdown. The US wanted to hurt China economically, so the dream of it becoming a superpower perishes.
When the virus started spreading in neighbouring Iran, the news of deaths and new infections started coming in. This gave rise to a new bizarre theory in Pakistan. The theory was that the virus can’t hurt the true Muslims instead it is attacking the non-Muslims only. So, the virus pretty much knows who is Muslim and who is a no Muslim. This theory was purely based on sectarian hatred. When the virus started spreading in Pakistan this theory vanished.
Some people blamed the upcoming 5G for the virus. They believed that the new 5G has weekend the people immune system that is why the virus is attacking those people who have the 5G cell Phones.
These theories were so widespread that even educated people in Pakistan stopped wearing a mask. In the first few months, the PM of Pakistan completely ignored the required SOP, setting a bad example for the rest of the people.
These theories were so strong that one of the theory stopped people from admitting sick loved ones in the Hospitals. This is another ridiculous theory, ‘the government gets paid for every fatality, even if it is coronavirus related or not, in many cases the government has killed the elderly by some injection.’ Now the question is who is going to pay the government for doing all this, for killing its people? People pointed toward the West. Whilst the west itself was under sever lockdown. Its economy was shrinking, the unemployment rate was at an all-time high. So how would they pay for doing such drama?
Most of these theories can be debunked quite easily. But there is no end to foolishness. If you answer one many more will rise tomorrow. Time is the best answerer. Now when the coronavirus is widespread in Pakistan nobody talks about those myths anymore.
Now that the virus has its presence in every corner of Pakistan, nobody talks about that the virus only attacks non-Muslim. Or the westerner has a weaker immune system than us that is why the death toll is higher there.
If we had not wasted our time on the above mentioned foul plays, had we been at a different stage in the fight against the virus? This is the question now rising in everybody’s mind. If you don’t respect a real imminent threat then you will have to face the worst consequences of it.
Pakistan is paying the price for all the wasted time. The government has imposed fresh restrictions when the rest of the world is opening up for the business. When there was no business activity in the world, Pakistan was open for business and now when there is one, Pakistan has to restrict the business activities.
With all the mockery of the virus, the Government has decided to take it seriously now. Most of the schools are open now but with strict SOP and guidelines. Like the rest of the world, the government of Pakistan has decided to vaccinate its masses. On the other India which has ten times more population than Pakistan has already vaccinated its individual. China has donated a few million doses, but that is not enough. So, the government has decided to vaccinate its medical staff and elderly people first. With an already lingering economy, the government cannot buy the vaccine for all individuals. In the end, to control the situation its most favourite ally in the region will have to step in.
China has already announced to donate a couple of million doses to Pakistan.
Pakistan’s worst enemy in the region, India has also decided to provide a couple of millions of doses to Pakistan’s. This news is not confirmed yet. If it becomes true, then India has played the best diplomatic card. But now it will be too soon to comment on it any further till it gets delivered.
Pakistan was under severe economic pressure before the virus. The inflation rates were at an all-time high. Unemployment was at its all-time high. Internal and external debt was all times high too. Covid-19 exaggerated the economic situation further. Now the question is how long it will take for the government to tackle the virus? When the virus is over how long the economic recovery will take? Only time will answer these questions. By looking at the previous records, one can see a tough and long road ahead. But pessimism never takes you towards a solution. The government of Pakistan has to revise its strategy and come up with a solid plan to tackle the situation.
The virus has its plan. With newly discovered variants in the UK and US, one cannot put all the blames entirely on the government, especially on the weaker economies. The rich countries have the strength to impose full restrictions, but can the poor countries do the same? The simple answer is no. Apart from the conspiracy theories, one cannot put all the blame entirely on the government of Pakistan. Even some of those theories were widespread in the advanced world. One cane debate that our reaction towards the worse because we did face the pandemic situation after a long time nearly a century.
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