The population of the Gilgit-Baltistan region is facing the worst crisis due to coronavirus pandemic and a shortage of essential medical supplies. Amid the coronavirus pandemic, they are facing several other threats like starvation and death as the occupier Pakistan has failed to provide assistance to the region.
The region illegally occupied by Pakistan has reported more than 800 coronavirus cases, but unfortunately, the region lacks the basic medical facilities. As per reports, the region of Gilgit-Baltistan has only two ventilators of outdated models. The activists in the region have been alleging that the region has not received any medical supplies from Pakistan in dealing with the raging coronavirus pandemic situation.
Dr. Amjad Ayub Mirza, an activist from POK took to twitter stating, “Only two ventilators available in Gilgit-Baltistan and Pakistan and China have started the construction of $14 billion Diamer-Basha Dam today. This clearly shows that Pakistani military or civil governments do not care about out people.”
Only two ventilators available in Gilgit-Baltistan and Pakistan and China have started the construction of $14 billion Diamer-Basha Dam today. This clearly shows that Pakistani military or civil governments do not care about our people. pic.twitter.com/E3R7xNGTdq
— Amjad Ayub Mirza (@AmjadAyubMirza1) June 2, 2020
Reportedly, the region is observing lockdown from the last two months during which the lack of essential commodities and medical supplies is worsening the condition of the people. The small businesses in the region are facing a crisis.
Mohammad Bakar Mehedi, a lawyer based in Astore said, “The spread of coronavirus has led to widespread unemployment in Gilgit-Baltistan. There is no place to address the grievance. Infaltion is sky-rocketing. The government has not been proactive. They have issued deadlines till 5 pm in some cases. Does corona virus not transmit after 5 pm?”
“They(government) receive funds and donations, but they use funds for their own purpose and not for the welfare of the people. However, they do not realize that it is the people who have mandated them for power and position. I hereby request the authorities to pay attention to the region, which was already deprived of rights. Now with coronavirus, the unemployment has grown massively,” he added.
Pakistan government deliberately spreading the virus to get more international aid
Prior to this the POK activist Nasir Aziz Khan has alleged that Pakistan is deliberately spreading the Chinese Coronavirus to claim international aid. The Kashmiri activists have slammed the terror-state of Pakistan for shifting coronavirus affected people from the eastern province of Punjab and the rest of the country to Mirpur city in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) to help spread the disease and to seek more aid from the international agencies.
Nasir added that there are no basic health facilities and they used to take their patients to other parts of Pakistan for treatment. Some patients die while transporting them to hospitals due to poor road infrastructure, added the activist. The activist said that there is no testing facility in the PoK that could do basic blood and urine tests and noted the coronavirus test needs trained doctors and testing kits.
