Army stands by nation to guard border between people and coronavirus: COAS

Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa has said that the armed forces will stand “shoulder to shoulder with the nation to guard the border between people and COVID-19” as nationwide tally of the novel coronavirus cases surged past 2,100 with 29 deaths.

“Pakistan Army being part of national effort will not leave any stone unturned for security and safety of people of Pakistan,” the chief of army staff was cited as saying by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).

According to the military’s media wing, Gen Qamar attended a special briefing held at the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) in Islamabad on Wednesday.

Currently, the nationwide tally of COVID-19 patients has crossed 2,100 with 709 cases in Sindh, 708 in Punjab, 158 in Balochistan, 253 in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, 187 in Gilgit-Baltistan, 58 in Islamabad and nine in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

“We must rise… and rise together irrespective of caste, colour, creed and religion fighting as one nation,” the COAS said. “The task at hand is daunting, but we have overcome difficult situations before. This time the challenge is entirely different.”

The government has decided to extend the ongoing lockdown for another two weeks until April 14 to contain the spread of the highly contagious disease in the country.

The forum was also briefed about latest situation on containment efforts and enforcement measures against COVID-19 and troops deployment across the country assisting federal and provincial administrations in aid of civil power.

Gen Qamar said that all necessary measures to ensure public safety are being taken.

“We cannot afford to leave any segment of the society at the mercy of this pandemic,” he said, adding, “Troops on ground must reach out to citizens in every nook and corner of Pakistan not only to protect them against this pandemic but also for bringing comfort in this hour of distress.”

The army chief said that only through a coherent national effort we can address all vulnerabilities before they turn into threats. “The planned measures, if implemented timely will contribute to safety and well being of every Pakistani and society at large.”

The ISPR said that the session expressed complete satisfaction over the measures taken thus far and also dilated upon future course of action.

The ISPR said that the session expressed complete satisfaction over the measures taken thus far and also dilated upon future course of action.

The NCOC is serving as a nucleus for one window operation to synergise and articulate national effort against COVID-19, optimise informed decision making and ensure implementation of decisions of National Security Committee (NSC) and National Coordination Committee (NCC).

Commander Army Air Defence Command Lieutenant General Hamooduz Zaman Khan has been designated as chief coordinator NCOC, according to the military’s media wing.