Published 08:49 IST, May 2nd 2020
Imran Khan's 'Naya Pak' omits Ahmadiyyas from minorities commission, cites 'sensitivity'
Pakistan has omitted the Ahmadiyya community from its National Commission of minorities citing religious and historical sensitivity.
Sharing a document of Pakistan's ministry of religious affairs and interfaith harmony, a Pakistani journalist on Saturday said that persecution of minorities in the country is being done under the watch of the state. In the document that she shared on Twitter, Muslim minorities Ahmadiyas were not included in the National Commission of Minorities (NCM) citing that their issue is 'religiously & historically sensitive'. There have been multiple reports of persecution of minorities in Pakistan including the Muslim minority Ahmadiyas, whom the state fails to recognize as a sect amongst Muslims.
Imran Khan tested negative
On April 22, Imran Khan's Covid test result arrived and he tested negative for the novel coronavirus. This came a day after it emerged that Faisal Edhi with whom Khan had interacted on April 15 had been confirmed as a positive COVID-19 patient. However, on Thursday, Pakistan's National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser tested positive of the novel coronavirus. This brought Khan under Covid scare again as he met Qaiser on April 24. However, Khan's office said that he was wearing protective gears and social distancing was maintained.
Covid in Pakistan
Pakistan on Friday reported 882 new cases of coronavirus, taking the total number of infections in the country to 17,699 with 408 deaths, the health ministry said. The Ministry of National Health Services said 23 deaths were reported, taking the death toll to 408.
Punjab reported 6,340 cases, Sindh 6,675, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa 2,799, Balochistan 1,136, Islamabad 343, Gilgit-Baltistan 340 and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir reported 66 cases, according to the latest data released by the ministry. Among the high profile politicians tested positive for the deadly virus include Pakistan's National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser, apart from Governor of Pakistan's southern Sindh province Imran Ismail, a very close aide of Prime Minister Imran Khan
The health ministry said that so far 182,131 tests had been conducted, including 7,971 on April 30. "There were 3,706 patients admitted in 717 hospitals with COVID-19 facilities across the country. The rest of the patients were isolated at homes," according to the ministry.
Advisor on Health Zafar Mirza said that either the end of May or middle of June could be the peak period for coronavirus in the country. "But it can be different also as we are not sure and monitoring the situation closely, Mirza had told media on Thursday. The health ministry said that infection was taking toll on the health professionals, as 191 more healthcare providers had tested positive.
Earlier data shared on April 23 showed that 253 healthcare workers were infected, while the new figure showed that the number increased to 444, registering 75 per cent jump. Those infected include 216 doctors, 67 nurses and 161 other healthcare staff. So far 94 patients have recovered from the virus.
Pakistan min Fawad Chaudhry gutted as Imran Khan aide and Sindh Guv tests Covid positive
Updated 08:49 IST, May 2nd 2020