By Uzma Zafar
ISLAMABAD: As the country witnesses surge in the COVID-19 cases again, President Dr Arif Alvi Sunday advised the countrymen to strictly adhere to the precautions of wearing masks, social distancing and frequent hand wash.
In a video message, the president said the country had contained the virus to a great extent but it was not eliminated in to which necessitated constant observance of the anti-COVID standard operating procedures (SOPs). He said the country had recorded 6,825 as the highest Corona cases on June 14 which were dropped to 185 on August 31. Now again, the figure has crossed 700 mark, he added.
He said the government had faced the COVID-19 challenge through smart lockdown and simultaneously ensured the business activity to save people from unemployment. The president said that after a bit decline, the disease had resurfaced in America, France, Spain, England and other European countries.
He said Pakistan had tackled the coronavirus effectively after the people adhered to the precautions by wearing masks in mosques and markets besides frequently washing hands and observing social distancing.
He said in order to avert its resurgence, the people were required to keep observing the precautions for few more months to purge the country of the disease.He said by pursuing the prudent vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan, the people were kept from losing their jobs and the poor ones were assisted through Ehsaas Program. He advised the people not to ignore the anti-COVID precautions of wearing masks, frequent hand washing and social distancing. He also called for avoiding gatherings at weddings halls and hugging to prevent the spread of the disease.
Earlier, President Dr Arif Alvi on Wednesday rejected an instant representation of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) against an order of Wafaqi Mohtasib regarding violation of transparency and merit in appointment of a Draftsman (BS-14) and ordered an inquiry into appointment and structure of interview process.
The President ordered two report; an internal inquiry into the case of appointment and also on the structure of interview process at PIMS, required to be submitted to Wafaqi Mohtasib within 45 days.
The candidate Asim Hanif, who had applied for the post of Draftsman against the vacancies advertised by PIMS, topped the list while obtaining 63 marks in written examination, but was not selected finally after the Interview Committee awarded him 6 marks out of 30. Feeling aggrieved, the candidate had approached the learned Wafaqi Mohtasib and the hearing of the case was held on September 30, 2020 with Dr. Minhaj-us-Siraj, Joint Executive Director along with Jameel Shirazi, Deputyy Director appearing on behalf of PIMS, while Asim Hanif appeared in-person.
