Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Maj Gen Babar Iftikhar said that Pakistan Army troops have reached every corner of the country from 6am today (Monday) morning to help civil institutions in implementing the standard operating procedures (SOPs) against the coronavirus.
Addressing a press conference in Rawalpindi, he said teams had been constituted which would be led by brigadiers at the administration division level and by lieutenant colonels at the district level.
In view of the third wave of coronavirus in Pakistan, Major General Babar Iftikhar, the chief military spokesperson, on Monday said that the Army troops have been deployed in 16 cities across Pakistan to ensure the adherence of Covid-19 standard operating procedures (SOPs).
The cities included Islamabad, Peshawar, Mardan, Nowshera, Charsadda, Swabi, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Faisalabad, Multan, Bahawalpur, Gujranwala, Karachi, Hyderabad, Quetta and Muzaffarabad, where the positivity rate has reached "dangerous" levels, he said during a press briefing.
He said that the death toll due to Covid-19 was on the rise in the country and it has reached 2.16 per cent for the first time since the start of the pandemic.
The DG ISPR further said that 570 patients were on ventilators across Pakistan whereas condition of 4,300 is critical. "Approximately 90 ventilators have been occupied in the country," he added.The troops will assist the civil administration and will not avail any security allowance, revealed the chief military spokesperson. "We can remain safe only by adhering to the Covid-19 SOPs," he added.
Maj-Gen Babar further said that 75 per cent oxygen was being distributed in the health sector. However, he added, that if the situation persists then the oxygen being given to the industrial sector would also be allocated to the health sector.
The confirmation came a day after the federal government announced deployment of armed forces in all provinces and regions of the country, with the exception of Sindh, to ensure compliance with the Covid-19 SOPs.
Besides, the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government has decided to enforce a complete lockdown in Mardan district for seven days, starting from today.
However, it emerged later that the Sindh government had also written to the federal government seeking the deployment of army in the province to ensure adherence to Covid-19 precautionary SOPs.
The country is witnessing a surge in Covid-19 cases as it grapples with the third wave of the pandemic, fueled by the UK strain of the virus.
According to the NCOC, most deaths were reported in Punjab followed by Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
Major General Babar said that the army will assist the civilian institutions as an emergency response force. “Today since 6am, armed forced have been sent to every district to assist the civilian administration.”
He said that a team has been deployed at every administrative level. "At the division level the team [of armed forces] will be headed by a brigadier level officer and at the district level by a Lt-Col," he said.
The DG ISPR added that apex committee meetings will be held weekly to review the Covid-19 positivity rate of the cities.
