COVID-19 Pandemic In Pakistan
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The COVID-19 pandemic in Pakistan is part of the ongoing
pandemic A pandemic () is an epidemic of an infectious disease that has spread across a large region, for instance multiple continents or worldwide, affecting a substantial number of individuals. A widespread endemic (epidemiology), endemic disease wi ...
of coronavirus disease 2019 () caused by
severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‑CoV‑2) is a strain of coronavirus that causes COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019), the respiratory illness responsible for the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The virus previously had a p ...
(). The virus was confirmed to have reached
Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
on 26 February 2020, when two cases were recorded (a student in
Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former cap ...
who had just returned from
Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
and another person in the
Islamabad Capital Territory The Islamabad Capital Territory ( ur, , translit=Vafāqī Dār-alhakūmat) is the only federal territory of Pakistan. Located between the provinces of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, it includes the country's capital city of Islamabad. The terr ...
). On 18 March 2020, cases had been registered in all four provinces, the two autonomous territories, and
Islamabad Capital Territory The Islamabad Capital Territory ( ur, , translit=Vafāqī Dār-alhakūmat) is the only federal territory of Pakistan. Located between the provinces of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, it includes the country's capital city of Islamabad. The terr ...
, and by 17 June, each district in Pakistan had recorded at least one confirmed case of COVID-19. Despite being the world's 5th-most-populous country, Pakistan only has so far recorded the world's 29th-highest death toll (at approximately 23,087) and 29th-highest number of confirmed cases (at approximately 1,011,708). However, these figures do not include undercounting of COVID-19 infections in the country. Pakistan so far has experienced three different waves of COVID-19. The nation's first wave of COVID-19 began in late May 2020, peaked in mid-June when daily new confirmed case numbers and daily new death numbers reached high points, then ended in mid-July. The first wave was marked by a low death rate, and passed very suddenly as case and death rates began to drop very quickly after peaking. After the first wave, Pakistan's COVID-19 situation subsided daily new death numbers and testing positivity rates in the country stabilized at low levels. Cases and deaths began rising again, though, in early November 2020, culminating in the country's second wave. This wave was low in its intensity, mainly affected the southern province of
Sindh Sindh (; ; ur, , ; historically romanized as Sind) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the southeastern region of the country, Sindh is the third-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the second-largest province ...
, and peaked in mid-December 2020. The country's third wave began in mid-March 2021, when testing positivity rates, and daily new confirmed cases and deaths began to skyrocket. The third wave mainly affected the provinces of
Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...
and
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ps, خېبر پښتونخوا; Urdu, Hindko: خیبر پختونخوا) commonly abbreviated as KP or KPK, is one of the Administrative units of Pakistan, four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the Geography of Pakistan, ...
. This wave peaked in late April 2021, and since then, positivity rates, daily new case numbers, and daily new death numbers have been falling. Pakistan's most populated province,
Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...
, has so far seen the highest raw number of confirmed cases (334,000) and deaths (9,770).
Sindh Sindh (; ; ur, , ; historically romanized as Sind) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the southeastern region of the country, Sindh is the third-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the second-largest province ...
, the second-most populated province in the country, has seen the second-highest number of confirmed cases (308,000) and deaths (4,910), but was hit hardest by Pakistan's first two waves of the virus, and still has higher proportions of confirmed cases than all of Pakistan's other provinces. It also has the second-highest death rate, after
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ps, خېبر پښتونخوا; Urdu, Hindko: خیبر پختونخوا) commonly abbreviated as KP or KPK, is one of the Administrative units of Pakistan, four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the Geography of Pakistan, ...
, which is Pakistan's third-most-populated province. While
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ps, خېبر پښتونخوا; Urdu, Hindko: خیبر پختونخوا) commonly abbreviated as KP or KPK, is one of the Administrative units of Pakistan, four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the Geography of Pakistan, ...
has the third-highest number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 (129,000), it has faced an exceptionally high fatality rate of 3.03% which has caused it to have the highest death rate out of any province and the third-highest number of deaths (3,920). In the southwest of the country, the sparse and arid province of
Balochistan Balochistan ( ; bal, بلۏچستان; also romanised as Baluchistan and Baluchestan) is a historical region in Western and South Asia, located in the Iranian plateau's far southeast and bordering the Indian Plate and the Arabian Sea coastline. ...
has seen the lowest confirmed case count (24,500) and the lowest death count (270) of all of Pakistan's provinces and has also shown the lowest number of confirmed cases per capita, as well as the lowest number of deaths per capita. The fatality rate in Balochistan is especially low, currently standing at 1.10%.
Islamabad Capital Territory The Islamabad Capital Territory ( ur, , translit=Vafāqī Dār-alhakūmat) is the only federal territory of Pakistan. Located between the provinces of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, it includes the country's capital city of Islamabad. The terr ...
, which is richer than any of Pakistan's provinces, has confirmed 80,300 cases and has seen 745 deaths so far, giving it a higher number of deaths per capita and a higher number of confirmed cases per capita than any Pakistani province, while also having the lowest fatality rate in the country. The country was put under a nationwide lockdown from 1 April and extended twice until 9 May.Coronavirus pandemic: Pakistan to extend lockdown for 2 more weeks as death toll reaches 31
, The Statesman, 2 April 2020
Upon its end, the lockdown was eased in phases. After the first wave, the country has battled COVID-19 by using "smart lockdowns" and enforcing SOPs. The distribution of COVID-19 in Pakistan is heavily concentrated in a few key areas. The city of
Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former cap ...
(as of 7 May 2021) has recorded about 189,000 confirmed cases, making up about 22% of all cases of COVID-19 in Pakistan. Meanwhile,
Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city. ...
, the country's second-largest city, has recorded (as of 5 September 2020) 170,000 cases of COVID-19, making up about 19% of the country's cases.
Islamabad Capital Territory The Islamabad Capital Territory ( ur, , translit=Vafāqī Dār-alhakūmat) is the only federal territory of Pakistan. Located between the provinces of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, it includes the country's capital city of Islamabad. The terr ...
and
Peshawar District Peshawar District ( ps, پېښور ولسوالۍ, hnd, , ur, ) is a district in Peshawar Division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan. It is located about 160 km west of the Pakistan's capital Islamabad. The district headquarter is ...
have recorded about 79,000 and 47,000 confirmed cases respectively as of the latest available data. Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, and Peshawar account for about 485,000 cases, which make up over 55% of the country's total confirmed cases.


Background

On 12 January 2020, the
World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of h ...
(WHO) confirmed that a
novel coronavirus Novel coronavirus (nCoV) is a provisional name given to coronaviruses of medical significance before a permanent name is decided upon. Although coronaviruses are endemic in humans and infections normally mild, such as the common cold (caused by ...
was the cause of a respiratory illness in a cluster of people in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China, which was reported to the WHO on 31 December 2019. The
case fatality ratio In epidemiology, case fatality rate (CFR) – or sometimes more accurately case-fatality risk – is the proportion of people diagnosed with a certain disease, who end up dying of it. Unlike a disease's mortality rate, the CFR does not take int ...
for COVID-19 has been much lower than SARS of 2003, but the
transmission Transmission may refer to: Medicine, science and technology * Power transmission ** Electric power transmission ** Propulsion transmission, technology allowing controlled application of power *** Automatic transmission *** Manual transmission *** ...
has been significantly greater, with a significant total death toll.


Timeline


February 2020

On 26 February, Pakistan confirmed its first two cases of the coronavirus.
Zafar Mirza Zafarullah Mirza is a Pakistani politician who served as a Special Assistant to the Prime Minister for Health. He was appointed by Prime Minister Imran Khan on 23 April 2019. Before this, he was leading the Public Health, Innovation and Intell ...
, the Prime Minister's Special Assistant on Health, stated in a tweet: "I can confirm first two cases of coronavirus in Pakistan." The first patient was a student at the
University of Karachi The University of Karachi ( sd, ; informally Karachi University, KU, or UoK) is a public research university located in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. Established in June 1951 by an act of Parliament and as a successor to the University of Sindh (whic ...
,
Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former cap ...
in Sindh province, while the second patient was from the federal territory of the country. Both patients had recently returned from
Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
. Within a week of the first two cases, Pakistan confirmed three more cases, including a case in Pakistan's capital,
Islamabad Islamabad (; ur, , ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's ninth-most populous city, with a population of over 1.2 million people, and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital T ...
and also in
Rawalpindi Rawalpindi ( or ; Urdu, ) is a city in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is the fourth largest city in Pakistan after Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad, and third largest in Punjab after Lahore and Faisalabad. Rawalpindi is next to Pakistan's ...
,
Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...
.


March 2020


1–10 March – Early spread

The fifth case was also reported, on 2 March, from the federal area of the country, of a 45-year-old woman from
Gilgit-Baltistan Gilgit-Baltistan (; ), formerly known as the Northern Areas, is a region administered by Pakistan as an administrative territory, and constituting the northern portion of the larger Kashmir region which has been the subject of a dispute bet ...
, who had also travelled from Iran. On 6 March,
Murtaza Wahab Murtaza Wahab is a Pakistani politician who is the current Adviser to Chief Minister of Sindh on Rules and regulations. He was a member of the Senate of Pakistan from August 2017 to March 2018. Political career On 30 April 2015, he was inducte ...
announced that the first patient in Karachi had fully recovered and was later discharged from hospital after testing negative. On 8 March, Pakistan confirmed its seventh case of COVID-19, also in Karachi. The next day, Pakistan reported nine new cases in Karachi, meaning that there was a total of 16 cases of COVID-19, with Sindh having the highest number of cases, 13 altogether. Five of the new patients had travelled to
Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...
and some others patients had returned from London. Three new cases were confirmed on 10 March, including one in
Hyderabad Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part ...
and the first case in
Quetta Quetta (; ur, ; ; ps, کوټه‎) is the tenth List of cities in Pakistan by population, most populous city in Pakistan with a population of over 1.1 million. It is situated in Geography of Pakistan, south-west of the country close to the ...
,
Balochistan Balochistan ( ; bal, بلۏچستان; also romanised as Baluchistan and Baluchestan) is a historical region in Western and South Asia, located in the Iranian plateau's far southeast and bordering the Indian Plate and the Arabian Sea coastline. ...
.


11–19 March – Outbreak

On 11 March 76 suspected cases were reported in several districts of Punjab province, including
Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city. ...
,
Gujranwala Gujranwala ( ur, , label=none; ) is a city and capital of Gujranwala Division located in Pakistan. It is also known as "City of Wrestlers" and is quite famous for its food. It is the 5th most populous city proper after Karachi, Lahore, Faisala ...
,
Sargodha Sargodha ( Punjabi and ur, ) is a city and capital of Sargodha Division, located in Punjab province, Pakistan. It is Pakistan's 12th largest city by population and one of the fastest-growing cities of the country. Sargodha is also known as ...
,
Hafizabad Hafizabad (Urdu and pa, ) is a city and capital of Hafizabad District located in Punjab, Pakistan. It is the 31st largest city of Pakistan. It is also a Tehsil. Ancient history Hafizabad is an old city in Punjab, Pakistan. In 327 BC, duri ...
and
Lodhran Lodhran ( ur, ), is a city and the capital of Lodhran District in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is Pakistan's 81st largest city. It is located on the northern side of River Sutlej. Lodhran is famous for its cotton crop and mangoes. Admi ...
. The Healthcare Department officials informed that ten patients were immediately cleared of the suspicion, while 55 patients were cleared after testing negative. A second case in
Gilgit-Baltistan Gilgit-Baltistan (; ), formerly known as the Northern Areas, is a region administered by Pakistan as an administrative territory, and constituting the northern portion of the larger Kashmir region which has been the subject of a dispute bet ...
was confirmed the same day in
Skardu , nickname = , motto = , image_skyline = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Gilgit Baltistan#Pakistan , pushpin_label_position ...
leaving the tally at 20. A third case was confirmed in Gilgit-Baltistan in
Shigar District Shigar District ( ur, ) is one of the 14 districts of Pakistani territory of Gilgit-Baltistan. The district is bounded on the north by the Nagar District, the Hunza District, and the Kashgar Prefecture of China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Reg ...
on 12 March, who had a travel history of Iran and was reported to be under treatment at the Skardu hospital. The same day,
Murtaza Wahab Murtaza Wahab is a Pakistani politician who is the current Adviser to Chief Minister of Sindh on Rules and regulations. He was a member of the Senate of Pakistan from August 2017 to March 2018. Political career On 30 April 2015, he was inducte ...
informed that the second patient of the virus had completely recovered. On 13 March, the Sindh Health Department identified a 52-year-old patient as positive, which marked the first case of local disease transmission as the patient had travelled from
Islamabad Islamabad (; ur, , ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's ninth-most populous city, with a population of over 1.2 million people, and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital T ...
. 24 of the 27 suspected cases in Khyber Pakhtunkwa were also cleared that day. At the end of the day, the total number of cases had risen to 28, with six new cases in
Taftan Taftan (in Persian: تفتان ''Taftân'') may refer to: * Taftan (volcano), located in Sistan and Baluchestan province of Iran * Taftan, Balochistan, a town in Balochistan province of Pakistan * Taftan (bread), a leavened flour bread from Persian ...
and another in Sindh. By 14 March, the number of cases was 31 as two new patients were found positive in Karachi while one was reported in Islamabad. Five more cases were announced in Karachi the next day on 15 March, including a second local transmission of the coronavirus in Sindh, while the other three had a travel history of
Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...
and one had been to Balochistan. There was also a new case reported in
Islamabad Capital Territory The Islamabad Capital Territory ( ur, , translit=Vafāqī Dār-alhakūmat) is the only federal territory of Pakistan. Located between the provinces of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, it includes the country's capital city of Islamabad. The terr ...
. Lahore Health Secretary, Mohammad Usman confirmed the first case of coronavirus in
Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...
in the city of
Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city. ...
. The infected patient had returned from United Kingdom on 10 March and was shifted to Mayo Hospital in an isolation ward. The
National Institute of Health The National Institutes of Health, commonly referred to as NIH (with each letter pronounced individually), is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in the late 1 ...
reported 11 new cases in Sindh and 6 new in a mobile lab at the Taftan border area. and the first case in
Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...
, increasing the tally to 53. On 16 March, a total of 134 new positives cases were registered, the majority of them, 116 in Sindh. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa also reported its first 15 cases while 3 were found in Balochistan. This marked the sharpest increase so far as not only were more than a 100 cases were reported in a province within a day but also the number across the country reached 187. The tally had shot up to 237 with 25 new cases in Punjab, 12 in Sindh and 4 in Islamabad on 17 March. By 18 March, the first case of coronavirus was reported from
Azad Kashmir Azad Jammu and Kashmir (; ), abbreviated as AJK and colloquially referred to as simply Azad Kashmir, is a region administered by Pakistan as a nominally self-governing entitySee: * * * and constituting the western portion of the larger Ka ...
. The provinces of Sindh and Gilgit-Baltistan saw an increase of cases by 36 and 10 respectively. New cases were also reported in other provinces. A patient from
Hyderabad Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part ...
was also discharged after recovering in Sindh province, making the total number of recovered cases 5. A total of 302 positive cases were confirmed in Pakistan on 18 March. The first two deaths due to the virus in the country were also confirmed on the day. Both were reported from the province of
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ps, خېبر پښتونخوا; Urdu, Hindko: خیبر پختونخوا) commonly abbreviated as KP or KPK, is one of the Administrative units of Pakistan, four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the Geography of Pakistan, ...
, the first being a 50-year-old man who had recently from
Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...
to
Mardan District Mardan District ( ps, مردان ولسوالۍ, ur, ) is a district in Mardan Division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan. The district is named after Mardan city, which is also the headquarters of the district. The district is famou ...
after performing
Umrah The ʿUmrah ( ar, عُمْرَة, lit=to visit a populated place) is an Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca (the holiest city for Muslims, located in the Hejazi region of Saudi Arabia) that can be undertaken at any time of the year, in contrast to the ...
in
Mecca Mecca (; officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, commonly shortened to Makkah ()) is a city and administrative center of the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia, and the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red ...
, while the second death was a 36-year-old from Hangu District. Both had been hospitalised in
Peshawar Peshawar (; ps, پېښور ; hnd, ; ; ur, ) is the sixth most populous city in Pakistan, with a population of over 2.3 million. It is situated in the north-west of the country, close to the International border with Afghanistan. It is ...
. The cases doubled by more than half from 33 to 80 in Punjab, and from 23 to 81 in Balochistan on 19 March. The rise in cases led the provincial government of Balochistan to declare a health emergency and impose a ban on public transport. The provincial government spokesperson Liaquat Shahwani stated that a relief package will be provided to the employees of transport companies. With a total of 159 new cases, the number confirmed cases jumped to 461.


20–31 March – First deaths

On 20 March, the first death was reported in Sindh. The patient was a 77-year-old who had acquired the virus through local transmission. The patient was a cancer survivor and had other underlying medical problems such as
hypertension Hypertension (HTN or HT), also known as high blood pressure (HBP), is a long-term medical condition in which the blood pressure in the arteries is persistently elevated. High blood pressure usually does not cause symptoms. Long-term high bl ...
and
diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ap ...
. While in other provinces, the increase in number of new cases was lower compared to the past few days at 34 and the tally stood at 495. On 22 March, the third death in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was announced. The first death in Gilgit-Baltistan and Balochistan were also announced on that day, meaning that the number of deaths increased to 6. The number of cases had also increased to 784 with 138 new cases. The fatality at
DHQ Hospital District Head Quarters (DHQ) Hospital is the second largest and oldest hospital in the city of Faisalabad. It is located on Mall Road near the Faisalabad Railway Station and Faisalabad Central Bus Stand. DHQ Hospital serves as the secondary te ...
in
Gilgit Gilgit (; Shina: ; ur, ) is the capital city of Gilgit–Baltistan, Pakistan. The city is located in a broad valley near the confluence of the Gilgit River and the Hunza River. It is a major tourist destination in Pakistan, serving as a h ...
was a doctor who contracted the virus after screening pilgrims returning from Iran. On 22 March, Gilgit-Baltistan went under lockdown for an indefinite period. 13 new pilgrims from
Taftan Taftan (in Persian: تفتان ''Taftân'') may refer to: * Taftan (volcano), located in Sistan and Baluchestan province of Iran * Taftan, Balochistan, a town in Balochistan province of Pakistan * Taftan (bread), a leavened flour bread from Persian ...
via
Dera Ghazi Khan Dera Ghazi Khan (), abbreviated as D.G. Khan, is a city in the southwestern part of Punjab, Pakistan. It is the 19th largest city of Pakistan by population. Lying west of the Indus River, it is the headquarters of Dera Ghazi Khan District and ...
were put in
quarantine A quarantine is a restriction on the movement of people, animals and goods which is intended to prevent the spread of disease or pests. It is often used in connection to disease and illness, preventing the movement of those who may have been ...
at Mirpur. Also on that day,
Descon Descon is a Pakistani multinational company which is based in Lahore, Pakistan. The company was founded on 15 December 1977. It operates in the engineering, power and chemicals sectors. Descon is the only Pakistani terror engineering company to ...
donated 10,000 hand sanitisers to hospitals in Punjab, whereas in Balochistan 26 drivers who transported the positive COVID-19 cases to hospitals were kept in quarantine. On 23 March, many doctors across the nation complained about the lack of proper equipment for battling the virus. A spokesman for Doctors' Union in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa said, "We do not have
personal protective equipment Personal protective equipment (PPE) is protective clothing, helmets, goggles, or other garments or equipment designed to protect the wearer's body from injury or infection. The hazards addressed by protective equipment include physical, elec ...
(PPE), or
goggles Goggles, or safety glasses, are forms of protective eyewear that usually enclose or protect the area surrounding the eye in order to prevent particulates, water or chemicals from striking the eyes. They are used in chemistry laboratories and ...
, and even acemasks we are buying from our own funds". Arrangements were made on the day by the
Foreign Office Foreign may refer to: Government * Foreign policy, how a country interacts with other countries * Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in many countries ** Foreign Office, a department of the UK government ** Foreign office and foreign minister * Unit ...
to bring 72 Pakistanis stranded at the
Doha International Airport Doha International Airport ( ar, مطار الدوحة الدولي) is an airport in Doha, Qatar. It was Qatar's commercial international airport until Hamad International Airport opened on 27 May 2014. While all scheduled commercial traffic ...
in
Doha Doha ( ar, الدوحة, ad-Dawḥa or ''ad-Dōḥa'') is the capital city and main financial hub of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf coast in the east of the country, north of Al Wakrah and south of Al Khor, it is home to most of the coun ...
,
Qatar Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it sh ...
as it had decided to temporarily ban travellers from Pakistan and 14 other countries early in the month. The passengers were subject to strict screening upon arrival. Another flight was arranged to bring 150 citizens for the
UAE The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...
stranded at
Dubai Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...
and
Abu Dhabi International Airport Abu Dhabi International Airport ( ar, مطار أبو ظبي الدولي) is an international airport in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. The airport, located east of Abu Dhabi city, is the second largest in ...
. The Sindh Education Minister
Saeed Ghani Saeed Ghani ( ur, ; born 8 July 1972) is a Pakistani politician who is currently serving as Provincial Minister of Sindh for Labour and Information and Human Resources. He has been a member of the Provincial Assembly of Sindh since August 2018 ...
tested positive for the virus and self-quarrantined for 14 days that day. He recovered from the virus on 30 March. On 24 March, Sindh and Balochistan observed lockdown until 7 April, while Azad Kahmsir went under it until 13 April respectively. Punjab also imposed lockdown on 24 March, but only until 6 April. In Sindh, the local police detained 472 people in various districts of the province the same day in violation of the lockdown, with 222 of them in Karachi alone and a total of 72 FIRs were registered on 24 March. The cases pertained to hoarding and profiteering of safety masks and hand sanitisers, large gatherings, opening shops and restaurants, and travelling in passenger buses. The provincial government of Sindh allowed 640 pilgrims quarantined in Sukkur to return home after being tested negative for the virus. The Chief Minister issued directives for the relevant deputy commissioners to receive the pilgrims on their return and monitor their health conditions for the next 10 days. On 25 March, several restrictions were imposed in the capital territory of Islamabad. These included closing of the outpatient departments of hospitals, complete bans on intra-city, inter-district and inter-province public transport as well as gatherings in public and private places. Three new recoveries were announced as well as the eighth death in the country. The number of positive cases in the nation crossed 1,000 as the tally increased to 1,057. On 26 March 140 new cases were tested positive across Pakistan. One new death was reported in Punjab, meaning that the death toll increased to 9. The total number of cases reached 1,197. Meanwhile, the number of recoveries increased by 2. On 27 March, Pakistan reported a total of 211 new cases, the first time the number crossed 200. Punjab also overtook Sindh as the province with the highest number of cases at 490, while two deaths were also reported there. The
National Institute of Health The National Institutes of Health, commonly referred to as NIH (with each letter pronounced individually), is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in the late 1 ...
(NIH) distributed
N95 mask An N95 filtering facepiece respirator, commonly abbreviated N95 respirator, is a particulate-filtering facepiece respirator that meets the U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) N95 classification of air filtratio ...
s across Sindh, while in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, screeing teams were deputed at all district entry and exit points for the screening of visitors of COVID-19 patients. In Gilgit-Baltistan, the local government decided that all travellers coming from the Taftan border would be tested for COVID-19. The total number of positive cases in the country reach 1408, while 3 patients were discharged, making the recovered cases a total of 26 and two deaths occurred, taking the total number of deaths to 11. The NIH initiated district level trainings of
high-dependency unit A high-dependency unit is an area in a hospital, usually located close to the intensive care unit, where patients can be cared for more extensively than on a normal ward, but not to the point of intensive care. It is appropriate for patients who h ...
, isolation and quarantine staff across Punjab. On 28 March, the Foundation set up by the Chinese billionaire
Jack Ma Jack Ma Yun (; born 10 September 1964) is a Chinese business magnate, investor and philanthropist. He is the co-founder and former executive chairman of Alibaba Group, a multinational technology conglomerate. In addition, he co-founded Yunfeng ...
and the Alibaba Group sent a second aircraft carrying various medical supplies to Pakistan. The aircraft was received in Karachi with at least 50,000 testing kits, large number of face masks, ventilators, and
personal protective equipment Personal protective equipment (PPE) is protective clothing, helmets, goggles, or other garments or equipment designed to protect the wearer's body from injury or infection. The hazards addressed by protective equipment include physical, elec ...
(PPE), which were combined around two tonnes of supplies worth Rs 67 million. The same day, Pakistan allowed
Thai Airways Thai Airways International Public Company Limited, trading as THAI (, th, บริษัท การบินไทย จำกัด (มหาชน)) is the flag carrier airline of Thailand. Formed in 1961, the airline has its corporate h ...
to resume its flight operation for Islamabad to bring back 175 Pakistanis stranded in
Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estima ...
, Thailand. Meanwhile, the Government of Punjab announced a Rs 10 billion relief package for financial support of 2.5 million families of daily-wage earners. The country reported an additional 118 cases on 29 March, taking the total to 1,526. One death each was reported in the provinces of Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, taking the total number of deceased to 13. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa developed and disseminated quarantine discontinuation guidelines. Also on the day, five Pakistani nationals visiting India on medical visas returned home via the
Wagah border Wagah ( ur, ) or Wagha (Shahmukhi pnb, ) is a village and union council (UC 181) located in the Wahga Zone near Lahore City District, Pakistan. The town is famous for the Wagah border ceremony and also serves as a goods transit terminal and ...
after being stranded in
Noida Noida, short for New Okhla Industrial Development Authority, is a planned city located in Gautam Buddha Nagar district of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Noida is a satellite city of Delhi and is a part of the National Capital Region (NCR) o ...
and New Delhi due to the countrywide 21-day lockdown imposed by the Indian government. Two of them tested positive for the virus on 31 March. As the cases neared 500 in Sindh, the CM of the province said that the data showed 25% of cases were due to local transmission. He stated, "the local transmission ratio is worrisome and needs to be contained further." On 30 March, Pakistan reported the highest number of new cases in a single day for March at 240. The total number reached 1,865 while total recoveries stood at 58 with 25 deaths. the Federal Minister for Science and Technology
Chaudhry Fawad Hussain Fawad Ahmed Hussain Chaudhry (born 7 April 1970) is a Pakistani politician and a senior member of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, who was Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting, in office since 14 April 2021 to 10 April 2022. Previously ...
said that locally manufactured ventilators and testing kits would hit the market in the coming days. The coronavirus testing kits were developed by Pakistan's
National Institute of Virology The National Institute of Virology in Pune, India is an Indian virology research institute and part of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). It was previously known as 'Virus Research Centre' and was founded in collaboration with the ...
based in
Karachi University The University of Karachi ( sd, ; informally Karachi University, KU, or UoK) is a public research university located in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. Established in June 1951 by an act of Parliament and as a successor to the University of Sindh (whi ...
and the National University of Science and Technology (NUST) have been handed to the Drug Regulatory Authority (DRAP) for final approval. While the
Pakistan Engineering Council The Pakistan Engineering Council (Urdu: ; acronym: PEC) is a professional body for accreditation of engineering education and regulation of engineering profession in Pakistan. It was established on 10 January 1976 by the Parliament under the ...
(PEC) developed ventilators, in collaboration with
NED University of Engineering and Technology The NED University of Engineering & Technology is a public university located in the urban area of Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. It is one of the oldest and best engineering universities in Pakistan, acknowledged for its best teaching practices an ...
and Pakistan Engineering Board, which were handed over to DRAP later in the week. He also said that the capacity of
Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research The Pakistan Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (PCSIR) ( ur, ) is a government-owned science and industrialisation research organisation which mainly focuses on the development of industrial research. History Initially established as ...
(PCSIR) for production of hand sanitizers was enhanced. On 31 March 82 total recoveries were announced, as well as the 26th death in the country. 174 new cases were tested positive, meaning that the total number of positive cases had increased to 2,039.


April 2020

On 1 April 252 new cases were confirmed, bringing the total number of cases to 2291, while the total number of recoveries in the country surpassed 100. A further 159 new cases were confirmed on 2 April, bringing the tally to 2450. Four deaths were reported, two from Sindh and one each from KP, and Gilgit increasing the total to 35. The total cases increased to 2708 after 258 new cases were confirmed on 3 April, making Punjab the first province to cross 1,000 confirmed cases. Five deaths were reported. The number of confirmed cases crossed 3,000 around the nation on 5 April. The country recorded nearly a 1000 cases over the next two days and the tally reached a total of 4,005 on 7 April with 54 deaths and 429 recoveries. Sindh became the second province to cross 1,000 confirmed cases after Punjab on 8 April. On 11 April, the total cases surged over 5,000 leaving over 80 dead so far. The total number of recoveries in Pakistan reached abover 1,000 on 12 April. The federal government decided on 14 April to extend the ongoing lockdown for two more weeks until 30 April. On 15 April, the national death tally surpassed 100 and the number of cases crossed 6000. On 16 April, it was reported that 58% of the cases had been locally transmitted in Pakistan. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa crossed the mark of 1,000 confirmed cases on 18 April. A report released on 21 April stated that over 2,000; 27% of the total positive cases in the country were linked to the religious congregation of the Tablighi Jamaat. Pakistan crossed a critical mark of the outbreak in the country as the total number of cases surged above 10,000 on 22 April. On 24 April, the federal government once again extended the lockdown in the country, this time until 9 May. In late April, a group of senior doctors in Pakistan, and abroad, wrote to religious leaders and to the prime minister "pleading" not to open mosques during
ramadan , type = islam , longtype = Religious , image = Ramadan montage.jpg , caption=From top, left to right: A crescent moon over Sarıçam, Turkey, marking the beginning of the Islamic month of Ramadan. Ramadan Quran reading in Bandar Torkaman, Iran. ...
, particularly as 80% of the people attending would be mostly in their 60s and 70s. This could result in an "explosion of Covid-19". The governor of Sindh,
Imran Ismail Imran Ismail ( ur, ; born 1 January 1966) is a Pakistani businessman and politician from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. He served as the 33rd Governor of Sindh from 27 August 2018 to 18 April 2022. Before being appointed Governor of Sindh, he was ...
revealed on 27 April that he had tested positive for COVID-19 via Twitter.


May 2020

By 7 May, COVID-19 had infected more than 500 Pakistani healthcare workers. On 9 May, the lockdown ended in Pakistan. On 18 May 16 new fatalities were recorded in
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ps, خېبر پښتونخوا; Urdu, Hindko: خیبر پختونخوا) commonly abbreviated as KP or KPK, is one of the Administrative units of Pakistan, four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the Geography of Pakistan, ...
, bringing the death toll to 334 in the province. The next day, a further 11 fatalities were reported in the province, bringing the death toll to 345. On 19 May, it was reported that a 64-year-old patient in
Hyderabad Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part ...
, Sindh, recovered after undergoing plasma therapy. On 21 May, the number of positive cases passed 48,000, after 2,193 new cases were announced. 32 new fatalities were recorded. The death toll reached 1,017, as the number of recoveries reached 14,155. Planning Minister
Asad Umar Asad Umar ( ur, ; born 18 September 1961) is a Pakistani politician who has been a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan since September 2013. He served as the Federal Minister for Planning, Development, Reforms and Special Initi ...
said that Pakistan could test 25,000 people a day. On 22 May,
Pakistan International Airlines Flight 8303 Pakistan International Airlines Flight 8303 was a scheduled domestic flight from Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore to Jinnah International Airport in Karachi, Pakistan. On 22 May 2020, the Airbus A320 crashed into Model Colony, a de ...
crashed on approach to
Jinnah International Airport Jinnah International Airport ( ur, جناح بین الاقوامی ہوائی اڈا) , formerly Drigh Road Airport or Karachi Civil Airport, is Pakistan's busiest international and domestic airport, and handled 7,267,582 passengers in 2017 ...
, killing 97 of the 99 people on board. The crash further stretched health resources, and led to a three-day long decline in testing. On 29 May, it was announced that 900 children under the age of 10 had tested positive in Sindh. Most cases were
asymptomatic In medicine, any disease is classified asymptomatic if a patient tests as carrier for a disease or infection but experiences no symptoms. Whenever a medical condition fails to show noticeable symptoms after a diagnosis it might be considered asy ...
.


June 2020

In early June, after testing began to pick up once again, case numbers began rising far faster, after levels of new cases in 24 hours breaking 3,000 on 31 May 3 June was the first day in which more than 4,000 people tested positive for COVID-19. The ratio of positive cases to tests also increased, hovering around 20 – 25% in the first few days of June. On 1 June 2020, it was reported that Punjab's chief minister, Usman Buzdar, had been told in a summary that there were an estimated 670,000 cases of COVID-19, most of them asymptomatic, in Lahore and that COVID-19 had reached every single area of Lahore. On 13 June 2020, veteran Pakistani cricketer and former captain of
Pakistan national cricket team The Pakistan national cricket team or Pak cricket team, often referred to as the Shaheens (), Green Shirts, Men in Green and Cornered Tigers is administered by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). The team is a Full Member of the International C ...
Shahid Afridi Sahibzada Mohammad Shahid Khan Afridi ( ur, شاہد افریدی‎, ps, شاهد افریدی; born 1 March 1977), known as Shahid Afridi, is a Pakistani former cricketer and captain of the Pakistan national cricket team. He is current ...
confirmed that he has been tested positive for
COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...
through his official Twitter account after experiencing severe body pain since 11 June 2020. He was actively involved in social service helping people across
Balochistan Balochistan ( ; bal, بلۏچستان; also romanised as Baluchistan and Baluchestan) is a historical region in Western and South Asia, located in the Iranian plateau's far southeast and bordering the Indian Plate and the Arabian Sea coastline. ...
in the remote areas during the lockdown imposed in the country prior to contracting with the coronavirus. On 17 June 2020, Shaheed Sikandarabad District,
Sherani District Sherani or Shirani ( ur, ) is an entirely rural subdistrict in the Zhob division of the Balochistan province of Pakistan, with a population of 153,116 as of the 2017 census. There are six villages of note: Ahmadi Dirga (Ahmedi Derga), Karama ...
, and
Barkhan District Barkhan ( Balochi: بارکھئوں, ur, , ) is a district in the Pakistani province of Balochistan. It shares its borders with the province of Punjab to the east and the Balochistan districts of Dera Bugti to the south, Kohlu to the west, Lor ...
, all in Balochistan, all recorded their first case of COVID-19. This meant that every single district in the four provinces of Pakistan had at least one confirmed case of COVID-19.


December 2020

On 31 December 2020,
Minister for Science and Technology A Science Ministry or Department of Science is a ministry or other government agency charged with science. The ministry is often headed by a Minister for Science. List of Ministries of Science Many countries have a Ministry of Science or Ministry ...
Fawad Chaudhry Fawad Ahmed Hussain Chaudhry (born 7 April 1970) is a Pakistani politician and a senior member of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, who was Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting, in office since 14 April 2021 to 10 April 2022. Previously ...
said that Pakistan will purchase 1.2 million doses of coronavirus vaccine from
Sinopharm China National Pharmaceutical Group Corporation (CNPGC), commonly referred to as Sinopharm, is a Chinese state-owned enterprise. The corporation was the indirect major shareholder of publicly traded companies Sinopharm Group (, via a 51–49 j ...
.


January 2021

On 7 January 2021, Parliamentary Secretary for Ministry of National Health Services Dr
Nausheen Hamid Dr. Nausheen Hamid (; born 19 February 1961) is a Pakistani politician and social activist who had been a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan from August 2018 till January 2023. She is the current Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministr ...
said that Pakistan is expected to get the first COVID-19 vaccine shipment by the end of the month. On 9 January 2021,
Islamabad Islamabad (; ur, , ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's ninth-most populous city, with a population of over 1.2 million people, and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital T ...
got its first coronavirus vaccination centre after the government established the facility in Tarlai area of the federal capital. On 10 January 2021, the government's National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) opened registrations for frontline healthcare workers, who will receive the first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. Staff in both public and private health facilities will be vaccinated, NCOC announced on its website. On 16 January 2021, AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine was approved for emergency use in Pakistan as the Chinese vaccine was awaiting approval from the
Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan A drug is any chemical substance that causes a change in an organism's physiology or psychology when consumed. Drugs are typically distinguished from food and substances that provide nutritional support. Consumption of drugs can be via inhalati ...
(DRAP).
Faisal Sultan Faisal Sultan  is a Pakistani physician who has served as the Chief Executive Officer of the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre from 2003 to 2020. He was later appointed as the Ministry of National Health Services, Regul ...
added that Pakistan had adequate
cold chain A cold chain is a low temperature-controlled supply chain network. An unbroken cold chain is an uninterrupted series of refrigerated production, storage and distribution activities, along with associated equipment and logistics, which maintain qu ...
facilities for most kinds of vaccines. On 18 January 2021, The Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) approved the Sinopharm BIBP vaccine for emergency use. On 21 January 2021, Pakistan's Foreign Minister
Shah Mehmood Qureshi Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Hussain Qureshi ( ur, ; born 22 June 1956) is a Pakistani politician who served as the 29th Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2018 to 2022. He previously held the post from 2008 to 2011. He has been a member of the Nationa ...
said that China agreed to provide half a million doses of the Chinese Sinopharm vaccine free of cost to Pakistan by 31 January. On 31 January 2021, it was announced that 17 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine would be provided to Pakistan by
COVAX COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access, abbreviated as COVAX, is a worldwide initiative aimed at equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines directed by the GAVI vaccine alliance, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), and the World Hea ...
.


February 2021

On 1 February 2021, Pakistan received the first vaccine doses from China. On 12 February 2021, Pakistan approved the emergency use of the
Convidecia AD5-nCOV, trade-named Convidecia, is a single-dose viral vector vaccine for COVID-19 developed by CanSino Biologics. It conducted its Phase III trials in Argentina, Chile, Mexico, Pakistan, Russia, and Saudi Arabia with 40,000 participants. I ...
vaccine developed by
CanSino Biologics CanSino Biologics (), often abbreviated as CanSinoBIO, is a Chinese vaccine company. History CanSino Biologics was founded in 2009 in Tianjin by Yu Xuefeng, Zhu Tao, Qiu Dongxu and Helen Mao Huihua. In July 2018, it filed an application to l ...
. On 24 February 2021, Pakistan announced all coronavirus restrictions would be lifted from 15 March.


March 2021

By 5 March 2021, 197,000 vaccine doses had been administered in Pakistan. On 6 March,
Nadhim Zahawi Nadhim Zahawi ( ar, ناظم الزهاوي, translit=Nāẓim az-Zahāwī; ku, نەدیم زەهاوی, translit=Nedîm Zehawî; born 2 June 1967) is an Iraqi-born British politician serving as Chairman of the Conservative Party and Minister ...
announced that Pakistan will get 17million COVID-19 vaccine doses from the United Kingdom. On 16 March, Pakistan received 500,000 doses of the Sinopharm vaccine as a donation from China.


May 2021

On 28 May, Pakistan received 106,000 doses of
Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine The Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine ( INN: tozinameran), sold under the brand name Comirnaty, is an mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine developed by the German biotechnology company BioNTech. For its development, BioNTech collaborated with Amer ...
through the
COVAX COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access, abbreviated as COVAX, is a worldwide initiative aimed at equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines directed by the GAVI vaccine alliance, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), and the World Hea ...
initiative.
Pfizer Pfizer Inc. ( ) is an American multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology corporation headquartered on 42nd Street in Manhattan, New York City. The company was established in 1849 in New York by two German entrepreneurs, Charles Pfizer ...
officials confirmed that 1million more doses could be delivered to Islamabad in July or August, subject to the bilateral agreement being negotiated at the time.


June 2021

On 28 June, the U.S. confirmed it would be sending 2.5 million doses of the
Moderna COVID-19 vaccine The Moderna COVID19 vaccine (INN: elasomeran), sold under the brand name Spikevax, is a COVID-19 vaccine developed by American company Moderna, the United States National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), and the Biomedi ...
to Pakistan, and that they were expected to arrive in 1 week.


April 2022

ON, APRIL 1, 2022, Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives
Asad Umar Asad Umar ( ur, ; born 18 September 1961) is a Pakistani politician who has been a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan since September 2013. He served as the Federal Minister for Planning, Development, Reforms and Special Initi ...
announced CLOSURE of the
National Command and Operation Center The National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) (April 2020-April 2022) was the principal body governing the policies and implementation of the national COVID-19 effort of Pakistan. It was formed in on the orders of the Prime Minister of Pakista ...
(NCOC) operations, partly because of all-time low COVID-19 indicators and partly because of high level of vaccination.


Raiwind Hotspot

Raiwind Raiwind ( Punjabi & ur, ) is a town (now promoted to Tehsil Head Quarter) located within union council 149 (Dholanwal) in Allama Iqbal Town of Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. The town serves as the headquarters of Tablighi Jamaat and hosts the annua ...
in the city of Lahore acts as the headquarters of the
Tablighi Jamaat Tablighi Jamaat (, also translated as "propagation party" or "preaching party") is a transnational Deobandi Islamic missionary movement that focuses on exhorting Muslims to be more religiously observant and encouraging fellow members t ...
in Pakistan, an evangelical organisation that promotes proselytism by all its members. On 10 March, a congregation of the organisation took place in
Raiwind Markaz Raiwind Markaz (in Punjabi مرکز رائےونڈ ) is a complex consisting of a main mosque, Islamic madrasa, and residential areas located in Raiwind city, near Lahore, Pakistan, and is the home of the Tablighi Jamaat in Pakistan. It attracts ...
and resulted as a coronavirus super-spreader event with more than 539 confirmed cases linked to it reported across the country so far. According to a report by the Punjab Special Branch approximately 70,000 to 80,000 members may have attended the congregation, with the majority being from various parts of Pakistan and 3,000 attendees from 40 foreign countries. The Jamaat's management claimed 250,000 attendees. The event carried on despite the strong opposition and warnings by the Government of Punjab. But according to the police, it was cut short from six days to three days. A cluster spread became apparent in the following days as cases traced back to the event were reported across the country. By 31 March 143 infections and three deaths were reported.Reuters
India and Pakistan Crack Down on Muslim Group Emerging as COVID-19 Cluster
''The New York Times'', 31 March 2020.
On 2 April, Pakistani authorities placed the entire city of Raiwind under quarantine, and shut down all general and medical stores after 40 Tablighi Jamaat participants tested positive for coronavirus. As of 8 April 539 infections were reported, of which 404 were in the Raiwind Markaz and 31 in
Hafizabad Hafizabad (Urdu and pa, ) is a city and capital of Hafizabad District located in Punjab, Pakistan. It is the 31st largest city of Pakistan. It is also a Tehsil. Ancient history Hafizabad is an old city in Punjab, Pakistan. In 327 BC, duri ...
. In
Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...
, 10,263 attendees of the Tablighi Jamaat event were quarantined in 36 districts of the province. Efforts are under way to trace thousands of other participants. The government of
Sindh Sindh (; ; ur, , ; historically romanized as Sind) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the southeastern region of the country, Sindh is the third-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the second-largest province ...
also announced a quarantine of all the attendees of the event. Bara Kahu in
Islamabad Islamabad (; ur, , ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's ninth-most populous city, with a population of over 1.2 million people, and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital T ...
has been quarantined as some returning attendees there tested positive for the coronavirus. Ayesha Siddiqa
Like India, Pakistan has a Tablighi Jamaat Covid-19 problem too. But blame Imran Khan as well
The Print, 3 April 2020.
Approximately 50 participants of the Tablighi Jamaat, including five Nigerian women, were admitted to a quarantine centre in
Kasur Kasur (Urdu and pa, ; also Romanization of Urdu, romanized as Qasūr; from pluralized Arabic word ''Qasr'' meaning "palaces" or "forts") is a city to south of Lahore, in the Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. The city serves as th ...
while some 38 participants have also tested positive in
Hyderabad Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part ...
. A report in late April revealed that the event had caused over 2,000; 27% of the country's total positive cases.


Other cases

On 29 January, four Pakistani students studying in China tested positive for
COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...
. Two more were later confirmed making the total number 6. Four of the students had recovered on 12 February while the other two recovered on 14 February after being hospitalised in
Guangzhou Guangzhou (, ; ; or ; ), also known as Canton () and alternatively romanized as Kwongchow or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of Guangdong province in southern China. Located on the Pearl River about north-northwest of Hong Kon ...
. On 11 March, the Pakistani consulate in Milan announced the first death of a Pakistani from COVID-19 in
Brescia Brescia (, locally ; lmo, link=no, label= Lombard, Brèsa ; lat, Brixia; vec, Bressa) is a city and ''comune'' in the region of Lombardy, Northern Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, a few kilometers from the lakes Garda and Iseo. ...
, Italy. A Pakistani national tested positive at the
Torkham Torkham (; ps, , translit=tūrxam) is a major border crossing between the Pakistani city of Torkham and Afghanistan, located along the Grand Trunk Road on the international border between the two countries. It connects Nangarhar province of Af ...
border between Pakistan and Afghanistan on 12 March. It was reported that the patient was an employee of Pakistani embassy in Afghanistan. On 20 March, the Palestinian Health Ministry announced a new case in
Salfit Governorate Salfit governorate ( ar, محافظة سلفيت) is one of 16 Governorates of the Palestinian National Authority. It is located in the northwestern West Bank, held under Israeli occupation, bordered by the governorates of Ramallah and al-Bire ...
,
Palestine __NOTOC__ Palestine may refer to: * State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia * Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia * Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...
, which originated from
Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
. On 21 March, Palestinian sources confirmed the first two cases in
Gaza City Gaza (;''The New Oxford Dictionary of English'' (1998), , p. 761 "Gaza Strip /'gɑːzə/ a strip of territory in Palestine, on the SE Mediterranean coast including the town of Gaza...". ar, غَزَّة ', ), also referred to as Gaza City, i ...
, Gaza; the two Palestinians had travelled from Pakistan and entered Gaza through
Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...
. Once they had tested positive for the virus they were placed in quarantine in
Rafah Rafah ( ar, رفح, Rafaḥ) is a Palestinian city in the southern Gaza Strip. It is the district capital of the Rafah Governorate, located south of Gaza City. Rafah's population of 152,950 (2014) is overwhelmingly made up of former Palestinian ...
since their arrival on 19 March. On 22 March, a patient in
Zambia Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most cent ...
had travelled to
Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
and had contracted COVID-19. On 28 March, Pakistani squash player Azam Khan died of COVID-19 in London, England, at the age of 95.


Prevention measures and response


Federal government


March 2020

The national carrier, PIA decided to suspend the flight operation between Pakistan and China till 30 January due to the outbreak. After confirmed reports of hundreds of cases in neighbouring China, the
Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) ( ur, ) is a state-owned autonomous body under the administrative control of the Secretary to the Government of Pakistan for Aviation, which oversees and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in Paki ...
(CAA) introduced screening measures at four major airports:
Islamabad Islamabad (; ur, , ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's ninth-most populous city, with a population of over 1.2 million people, and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital T ...
,
Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former cap ...
,
Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city. ...
and
Peshawar Peshawar (; ps, پېښور ; hnd, ; ; ur, ) is the sixth most populous city in Pakistan, with a population of over 2.3 million. It is situated in the north-west of the country, close to the International border with Afghanistan. It is ...
for every passenger arriving from China. Screening was also started for domestic travellers at Karachi's airport on 21 March. On 13 March, President Dr. Arif Alvi in a special tweet, advised the public to avoid participation in mass gatherings, handshaking or hugging in addition to taking other precautionary measures if they observe symptoms of flu or coronavirus infection. Pakistan also stopped all international flights, except those at
Islamabad Islamabad (; ur, , ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's ninth-most populous city, with a population of over 1.2 million people, and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital T ...
,
Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former cap ...
and
Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city. ...
airports on the day. It was also decided on 13 March at the National Security Council meeting with Prime Minister
Imran Khan Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi ( ur}; born 5 October 1952) is a Pakistani politician and former Cricket captain who served as the 22nd Prime Minister of Pakistan from August 2018 to until April 2022, when he was ousted through a no-confidenc ...
that all schools and universities would be closed until 5 April. However, the faculty and staff will go to work as usual. The lectures and classes will be held online in some institutions i.e., Riphah International University, FAST NUCES University, Institute of Space Technology. The
Pakistan Day The Resolution Day ( ur, , translit=Yawm-e-Qarārdād), also known as the Pakistan Day ( ur, , translit=Yawm-e-Pākistān) and Republic Day, is a national holiday in Pakistan primarily commemorating the adoption of the Lahore Resolution by the Mu ...
Parade, scheduled to be held on 23 March was also cancelled along with all public events and proceedings of the
Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
were postponed for two weeks on the day. Pakistan closed its borders to travellers from
Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
at the Chaman border from 2 until 21 March. The border was only partially reopened later after 21 March for transportation of food items while pedestrian movement remained suspended. The
Durand Line The Durand Line ( ps, د ډیورنډ کرښه; ur, ), forms the Pakistan–Afghanistan border, a international land border between Pakistan and Afghanistan in South Asia. The western end runs to the border with Iran and the eastern end to th ...
border was sealed from 16 March for at least two weeks. The same time period also applied to the land border with Iran after reopening it on 7 March from a previous closure. All land borders, including the China-Pakistan border with China were shut from 16 March. Lieutenant General Muhammad Afzal, the NDMA chairman, announced that the government was working on securing more PPEs and other resources for healthcare workers on 20 March. On 21 March, all international flights were suspended for two weeks. The Civil Aviation Authority stated, " hegovernment of Pakistan has decided to suspend operation of all international passenger, chartered and private flights to Pakistan, effective from March 21 till April 4". This led to many citizens being stranded in the Middle East,
Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...
and
Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
. The Railways Minister
Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad ( ur, ; born 6 November 1950) is a Pakistani politician who served as the 38th Interior Minister of Pakistan from 2020 to 2022. He is famous because of his smoking cigars and Laal Haveli. He is the founder and leader of A ...
declared the suspension of 42 trains. The
health ministry A health department or health ministry is a part of government which focuses on issues related to the general health of the citizenry. Subnational entity, Subnational entities, such as State (administrative division), states, county, counties an ...
announced that 14 metric tonnes of PPE, "including face masks, thermometers, gloves ndgowns", had been dispatched to Pakistan on 22 March. The federal government offered financial assistance to Sindh by allotting the province $10 million from the non-development funds of the
World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. The World Bank is the collective name for the Interna ...
the same day.
Imran Ismail Imran Ismail ( ur, ; born 1 January 1966) is a Pakistani businessman and politician from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. He served as the 33rd Governor of Sindh from 27 August 2018 to 18 April 2022. Before being appointed Governor of Sindh, he was ...
, the Governor of Sindh stated that the federal government was taking "vigorous measures" to control the outbreak and that rations will be provided to the families of patients. On 23 March, the nation celebrated
Pakistan Day The Resolution Day ( ur, , translit=Yawm-e-Qarārdād), also known as the Pakistan Day ( ur, , translit=Yawm-e-Pākistān) and Republic Day, is a national holiday in Pakistan primarily commemorating the adoption of the Lahore Resolution by the Mu ...
without any public gatherings or a military parade. Prime Minister Imran Khan and President Dr. Arif Alvi urged the nation to demonstrate unity, discipline and passion in fighting the coronavirus pandemic. The PM also stated that a complete lockdown of the country was not feasible as 25% of the population lives below the poverty line and would make their lives miserable. The government has over 35 hospitals across the country set up to deal with the outbreak, equipped with more than 118,000 beds as of the day. The
National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repre ...
speaker
Asad Qaiser Asad Qaiser ( ur, ; born 15 November 1969) is a Pakistani politician. He is the former Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan, served from August 2018 to April 2022. He has been a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan, since Augu ...
summoned a meeting of the parliamentary leaders of the Senate and the
Lower house A lower house is one of two Debate chamber, chambers of a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the upper house. Despite its official position "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide, the lower house has co ...
to review and discuss the role of the
Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
in containing the spread of the pandemic across the country for 25 March on the day. On 24 March, the Chief of the Army Staff General
Qamar Javed Bajwa General Qamar Javed Bajwa ( ur, ; born 11 November 1960) is a retired Pakistani army general who served as the tenth Chief of the Army Staff of Pakistan from 29 November 2016 to 29 November 2022. In 2018 he was ranked 68th in the ''Forbes' ...
ordered the deployment of troops nationwide and military's medical resources to fight the ongoing outbreak alongside the national health infrastructure after the Ministry of Interior approved the action on the previous day. The Ministry had received requests in this regard from the provincial governments over the past two days amid surging number of patients. The
State Bank of Pakistan The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) ( ur, ) is the Central Bank of Pakistan. Its Constitution, as originally laid down in the State Bank of Pakistan Order 1948, remained basically unchanged until 1 January 1974, when the bank was Nationalized and ...
issued a statement the same day declaring that it would be providing disinfected cash to all banks for circulation while ensuring to "clean, disinfect, seal and quarantine all cash being collected from hospitals and clinics and to block circulation of such cash in the market." It was further assured that banks could re-issue cash which remained in quarantine for 15 days and all ATMs as well as call centres and helplines would be running 24/7. Banks could close branches only if a staff member tested positive for the virus or "where requisite human resources erenot available" to avoid congestion as it would be counterproductive to
social distancing In public health, social distancing, also called physical distancing, (NB. Regula Venske is president of the PEN Centre Germany.) is a set of non-pharmaceutical interventions or measures intended to prevent the spread of a contagious disea ...
. The federal capital territory of Islamabad was placed under virtual lockdown starting on 24 March. On 26 March, Pakistan decided to seek $3.7 billion additional financing from three multilateral creditors including another loan of $1.4 billion from the
International Monetary Fund The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a major financial agency of the United Nations, and an international financial institution, headquartered in Washington, D.C., consisting of 190 countries. Its stated mission is "working to foster globa ...
to cope with the challenges being posed by the novel coronavirus outbreak. Adviser to the PM on Finance Dr
Abdul Hafeez Shaikh Abdul Hafeez Sheikh is a Pakistani economist and politician who served as Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Affairs from 11 December 2020 to 29 March 2021. Previously, he served as an advisor to Prime Minister on Finance and Revenue fr ...
announced at a news conference that the
World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. The World Bank is the collective name for the Interna ...
and the
Asian Development Bank The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is a regional development bank established on 19 December 1966, which is headquartered in the Ortigas Center located in the city of Mandaluyong, Metro Manila, Philippines. The bank also maintains 31 field office ...
would also extend loans of $1 billion and $1.25 billion respectively to the country. The PM announced the formation of a youth force labelled 'Corona Relief Tigers' to help the government in the fight against the spread of coronavirus nationwide on 27 March. The force was distributed across the country and would be used to supply food items to people in their houses in case COVID-19 cases sharply rose in a locality. The recruitment began on 31 March. Due to various lockdowns imposed by the regional governments, the goods transport system came to a halt in later March. Thus, the federal government decided on 29 March that highways and roads across the country would remain open to ensure the transportation of goods and also increased the number of freight trains to avert a shortage of food and other essential supplies. Chairing a meeting, the Prime Minister asked the provincial governments to take strict action against hoarders and profiteers who were trying to exploit the ongoing crisis.Centre decides to open roads across country
The Express Tribune, 30 March 2020
By late March, many regions in Pakistan had considered releasing under-trial prisoners to curb the outbreak in jails. However, on 30 March, the
Supreme Court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
prohibited high courts and federal and provincial governments from passing any order regarding the release of under-trial prisoners. Also on 30 March, the State Minister for Health, Dr
Zafar Mirza Zafarullah Mirza is a Pakistani politician who served as a Special Assistant to the Prime Minister for Health. He was appointed by Prime Minister Imran Khan on 23 April 2019. Before this, he was leading the Public Health, Innovation and Intell ...
announced that the Higher Education Commission (HEC) was inviting proposals from researchers, scientists, technicians, manufacturers and other experts that could assist the government in its fight against COVID-19, adding that the commission would provide generous funding to prospective researchers if their ideas are accepted. Meanwhile, the Lt. Gen. Afzal said that Sindh had been provided 20,000 testing kits, Punjab 5,000, Balochistan 4,800 and that up to 37,000 kits had been put into reserve. The Federal Minister for Inter Provincial Coordination Dr.
Fehmida Mirza Fahmida Mirza ( ur, ; born 20 December 1956) is a Pakistani politician who was Federal Minister for Inter Provincial Coordination, in office from 20 August 2018 until 10 April 2022. She served as the 18th and only women Speaker of the National ...
announced to create a fund to cover all medical expenses of sports persons infected with COVID-19 on that day.


April 2020

On 1 April, Special Assistant on Information and Broadcasting Dr.
Firdous Ashiq Awan Firdous Ashiq Awan ( Punjabi, ur, , born 11 January 1970) is a Pakistani politician from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. She has served as Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting from 2019 to 2020, Federal Minister for ...
said that protective kits would be provided to the journalists covering vulnerable areas including quarantine centers. She also announced the launching of an app called COVID-19 Care for Media to help the journalists affected by the virus. Furthermore, newspapers hawkers would also be registered in Ehsaas Emergency Cash program; part of the economic relief package announced by the federal government, as their sales had also been affected due to the outbreak. On 2 April, the Federal Minister for Planning and Development
Asad Umar Asad Umar ( ur, ; born 18 September 1961) is a Pakistani politician who has been a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan since September 2013. He served as the Federal Minister for Planning, Development, Reforms and Special Initi ...
announced that the country was extending the ongoing lockdown for another two weeks until 14 April to curb the spread of the pandemic in the country. On 14 April, the Prime Minister announced that the ongoing lockdown would be extended for two more weeks until 30 April. On 24 April, the federal government once again extended the lockdown in the country until 9 May. Some clerics took conservative position that mosques should remain open and operational during the holy month of
Ramadan , type = islam , longtype = Religious , image = Ramadan montage.jpg , caption=From top, left to right: A crescent moon over Sarıçam, Turkey, marking the beginning of the Islamic month of Ramadan. Ramadan Quran reading in Bandar Torkaman, Iran. ...
since congregational prayers are believed to be obligatory for Muslim men. The Minister of Science and Technology,
Chaudhry Fawad Hussain Fawad Ahmed Hussain Chaudhry (born 7 April 1970) is a Pakistani politician and a senior member of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, who was Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting, in office since 14 April 2021 to 10 April 2022. Previously ...
expressed his disappointment over conservative stance, while the
Pakistan Medical Association Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...
(PMA) along with the Pakistan Bar Association (PBA) demanded a complete lockdown in the country. The federal government upon the warning of PMA and senior doctors that relaxing the lockdown could cause a spike in the cases, decided to extend the lockdown until the middle of Ramadan. However, permission was granted under the leadership of the President,
Arif Alvi Arif-ur-Rehman Alvi (; born 29 July 1949) is a Pakistani dentist and politician currently serving as the 13th President of Pakistan, in office since 9 September 2018. He was a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan from June 2013 to May 2 ...
in consultation with the
ulama In Islam, the ''ulama'' (; ar, علماء ', singular ', "scholar", literally "the learned ones", also spelled ''ulema''; feminine: ''alimah'' ingularand ''aalimath'' lural are the guardians, transmitters, and interpreters of religious ...
and state representatives for Mosque congregations.


Economic Relief Package

On 24 March, the Prime Minister approved a Rs 1.2 trillion economic relief package. Of this, a total of Rs 150 billion was allotted for low-income groups, particularly labourers while 280 billion rupees ($1.76 billion) was assigned for wheat procurement. Loan interest payments for exporters were deferred temporarily, while a package of 100 billion rupees ($63 million) was provided to support small industries and the agriculture sector. There was also a significant deduction in petroleum prices and the public couple pay electricity and gas bills below a certain amount in instalments. Under the package the monthly stipend of the
Benazir Income Support Programme The Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) is a federal unconditional cash transfer poverty reduction program in Pakistan. Launched in July 2008, it was the largest single social safety net program in the country with nearly Rs. 90 billion ($9 ...
(BISP) was increased from Rs 2,000 to Rs 3,000. It was decided that the funds of the government's Ehsaas programme would be distributed among the poor according to the available data of the BISP and through the under progress National Socio-Economic Registry (NSER) of the BISP. The total number of BISP beneficiaries was 5.2 million but the number was increased under the package. The relief package also included a special package for healthcare professionals. According to which, if a doctor or a paramedic died while treating coronavirus patients, they would be considered martyrs and their families would receive the package that is given to martyrs. The federal cabinet reviewed and approved the economic relief package on 31 March. The
Economic Coordination Committee The Economic Coordination Committee ( reporting name:ECC), ( ur, ) is a principle federal institution and a consultative forum used by the people-elected Prime Minister of Pakistan as its chairman, for concerning matters of state's economic secu ...
(ECC) finalised the package, including a Rs 100-billion supplementary grant for an Emergency Relief Fund to combat the pandemic. It also approved a special package for relief to 12 million poor families through cash assistance under the Ehsaas Programme, where cash grants would be provided under the Kafalat Programme and emergency cash assistance to the poor on the recommendation of the district administration. The financial assistance was provided for four months as a one-time dispensation. The cash would be provided either in one Rs 12,000 instalment through Kafalat partner banks,
Bank Alfalah Bank Alfalah Limited, formerly Habib Credit and Exchange Bank, () is a Pakistani retail bank which is a subsidiary of the Emirati company Abu Dhabi United Group. It is one of the largest private Banks in Pakistan with a network of more than 850 b ...
and
Habib Bank Limited Habib Bank Limited ( ur, ) abbreviated as HBL, is a Pakistani multinational bank based in Habib Bank Plaza, Karachi, Pakistan. Founded in 1939 by the Habib Family, HBL became Pakistan's first commercial bank. In 1951 it opened its first inter ...
after biometric verification or in two instalments of Rs 6,000 each. Since its launch, a total of Rs 22.466 billion has been disbursed among 1.77 million individuals as of mid April.


Regional governments


Punjab

The
Government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...
of Punjab declared a health emergency on 12 March in a cabinet meeting. A quarantine facility was established in the
Dera Ghazi Khan Dera Ghazi Khan (), abbreviated as D.G. Khan, is a city in the southwestern part of Punjab, Pakistan. It is the 19th largest city of Pakistan by population. Lying west of the Indus River, it is the headquarters of Dera Ghazi Khan District and ...
district for the pilgrims returning from
Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
. On 22 March, the government decided to close down shopping malls, markets, parks and public gathering places for two days until 24 March. Punjab Chief Minister,
Sardar Usman Buzdar Sardar Usman Ahmad Khan Buzdar ( ur, ; born 1 May 1969) is a Pakistani politician and previously served as Chief Minister of Punjab, Pakistan, Chief Minister of The Punjab from 20 August 2018 to 30 April 2022. He has been a member of the Provi ...
urged people to stay at home, practice
social distancing In public health, social distancing, also called physical distancing, (NB. Regula Venske is president of the PEN Centre Germany.) is a set of non-pharmaceutical interventions or measures intended to prevent the spread of a contagious disea ...
and avoid unnecessary travel. Despite this, local media reported that many residents in Lahore had failed to practice the measures and downright defied it by opening up businesses and gathering in large numbers on various public grounds. This led to the local police and city administration to forcibly vacate them. On 23 March, The Chief Minister announced a 14 days lockdown from 24 March until 6 April. All markets, shopping malls and public places were closed and
pillion A pillion is a secondary pad, cushion, or seat behind the main seat or saddle on a horse, motorcycle, bicycle or moped. A passenger in this seat is said to "ride pillion". The word is derived from the Scottish Gaelic for "little rug", ''pillean' ...
riding was banned. He also stated that a 1,000-bed hospital would be set up in
Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city. ...
while five other hospitals were designated for coronavirus patients across the province the next day on 23 March while the local government and rescue services started disinfecting towns and cities. Public bus services were also temporarily suspended to disinfect all buses and stations. The Secretary Home Department of Punjab wrote a letter one day to the
Ministry of Interior An interior ministry (sometimes called a ministry of internal affairs or ministry of home affairs) is a government department that is responsible for internal affairs. Lists of current ministries of internal affairs Named "ministry" * Ministry ...
seeking the assistance of the military under Article 245. The Punjab University manufactured coronavirus protection kits along with large amounts of hand sanitisers, disinfectants and antiseptic wet-tissues for the public. The sanitisers are for national usage. An online initiative was started for online purchases for home deliveries. Also on the day, more than 150 pilgrims arrived in
Faisalabad Faisalabad (; Punjabi/ ur, , ; ), formerly known as Lyallpur ( Punjabi, Urdu: لائل پور), named after the founder of the city, but was renamed in 1977 in honour of late King Faisal of Saudi Arabia. It is the 3rd largest city of Pak ...
from Iran via the Taftan border to be quarantined at a centre. More arrangements were made to quarantine another 450 pilgrims returning at a centre established in the campus of the Agricultural University. The government established the largest quarantine centre in the nation in
Multan Multan (; ) is a city in Punjab, Pakistan, on the bank of the Chenab River. Multan is Pakistan's seventh largest city as per the 2017 census, and the major cultural, religious and economic centre of southern Punjab. Multan is one of the List ...
at Multan Industrial Estate to isolate the returning pilgrims with 3000 rooms. It had 1,247 pilgrims in quarantine as of the day. A companion 50-bed hospital was also set up to aid the centre. The provincial government decided to close down the regional motorways except for private vehicles with up to two passengers as a preventive measure on 26 March. The NIH initiated district level training of
high-dependency unit A high-dependency unit is an area in a hospital, usually located close to the intensive care unit, where patients can be cared for more extensively than on a normal ward, but not to the point of intensive care. It is appropriate for patients who h ...
, isolation and quarantine staff across the province on 27 March. The Chief Minister of the province announced a Rs 10 billion relief package for financial support of 2.5 million families of daily-wage earners on 28 March. Each family was entitled to Rs 4,000 financial assistance excluding the beneficiaries of the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP). The government also decided to remove provincial taxes to the tune of Rs 18bn. The CM said that the Punjab government had decided to grant a 90-day imprisonment rebate to prisoners in jails across the province which would benefit some 3,100 prisoners. Furthermore, the Punjab Infectious Diseases Prevention and Control Ordinance, 2020, was implemented to allow the civil administration and health department to implement government measures with complete ease and under the cover of law. It was also declared that the government would provide a month's additional salary to all healthcare workers across Punjab. The Punjab Minister for Finance Hashim Jawan Bakht said that the economic package would also help the health sector and the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) cope with the crisis with an immediate funding of Rs 11.5 billion. To aid the medical professionals, a textile owner from Lahore offered to manufacture PPE voluntarily and free of cost. Also in the meeting, the CM stated that laboratories around the province would test 3,200 people every day for coronavirus and 10,000 doctors and paramedics were being recruited to fight the pandemic. The Chief Minister Insaf Imdaad Programme (CMIIP) was launched on 1 April to help the daily wagers and the poor communities of the province affected by the pandemic. Furthermore, Zakat funds worth Rs 870 million were also released to help around 170,000 families. A 1,000-bed
field hospital A field hospital is a temporary hospital or mobile medical unit that takes care of casualties on-site before they can be safely transported to more permanent facilities. This term was initially used in military medicine (such as the Mobile A ...
was completed at the
Lahore Expo Centre Expo Centre Lahore ( ur, ) is a convention center located in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. Designed by joint venture of National Engineering Services Pakistan (NESPAK) and Nayyar Ali Dada & Associates, the convention center is located in Johar Tow ...
and the Punjab government also announced on the day that it had released Rs 620 million for the establishment of eight new diagnostic labs at the divisional level to speed up the testing process for COVID-19. Starting from 2 April, the lockdown in the province was extended until 14 April as per directions by the federal government. On 14 April, the lockdown period was further extended for two weeks, until 30 April by the federal government. The same day, Lahore police reported that a total of 13,498 cases had been registered against lockdown violators since 16 March. By early April, the province suspended regular prayer services in places of worship to stop the spread of COVID-19. Punjab Chief Secretary,
Azam Suleman Khan Maj (r) Azam Suleman Khan ( ur, میجر (ر) اعظم سلیمان خان ) is a retired Pakistani civil servant who serves as the Ombudsman of Punjab. He previously served in BPS-22 grade as the Interior Secretary of Pakistan, Chief Secretar ...
relayed to media on 6 April that field hospitals for coronavirus patients were being established across the province and two of these would be functional in
Rawalpindi Rawalpindi ( or ; Urdu, ) is a city in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is the fourth largest city in Pakistan after Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad, and third largest in Punjab after Lahore and Faisalabad. Rawalpindi is next to Pakistan's ...
and
Jhelum Jhelum ( Punjabi and ur, ) is a city on the east bank of the Jhelum River, which is located in the district of Jhelum in the north of Punjab province, Pakistan. It is the 44th largest city of Pakistan by population. Jhelum is known for p ...
in the next three days. On 8 April, the Lahore District Jail Superintendent urged authorities to not send any new inmates to the prison after 49 positive cases emerged there in addition to over 150 suspects. On 10 April, the Punjab Minister for Law, Parliamentary Affairs and Social Welfare
Muhammad Basharat Raja Muhammad Basharat Raja(Punjabi:محمد بشارت راجہ) is a Pakistani politician who is the current Provincial Minister of Punjab for Law and Parliamentary Affairs and Provincial Minister of Punjab for Baitul Maal and Social Welfare. He has ...
stated that a transfer plan had been made to shift 3,500 prisoners from overcrowded jails to others to curb the spread of coronavirus in prisons of the province. Also on the day, the provincial Information Minister, Fayyazul Hassan Chohan declared a relief package for media workers and personnel. Under the package, the government would pay Rs 1 million to any journalist who died due to COVID-19 while his widow would get Rs 10,000 as monthly pension for life. Rs 100,000 would also be provided to any media worker diagnosed with the coronavirus. At least 1,700 pilgrims returning from Iran were quarantined at a centre in
Multan Multan (; ) is a city in Punjab, Pakistan, on the bank of the Chenab River. Multan is Pakistan's seventh largest city as per the 2017 census, and the major cultural, religious and economic centre of southern Punjab. Multan is one of the List ...
on 16 April.


Sindh

On 1 March,
Chief Minister of Sindh Chief Minister of Sindh (, ur, —), is the elected head of government of Sindh. Syed Murad Ali Shah is a PPP politician and the current Chief Minister of Sindh. The Chief Minister is the head of the provincial government alongside the Chief S ...
,
Syed Murad Ali Shah Syed Murad Ali Shah ( ur, , ; born 8 November 1962) is a Pakistani politician and structural engineer who is the 29th and current Chief Minister of Sindh province of Pakistan and has been a member of the Sindh Assembly. Early life and educ ...
, announced the closure of all educational institutes in Sindh until 13 March, which was later extended until 30 May. On 12 March, the Government of Sindh also announced that the remaining PSL matches at
National Stadium Many countries have a national sport stadium, which typically serves as the primary or exclusive home for one or more of a country's national representative sports teams. The term is most often used in reference to an association football stadiu ...
, Karachi would be held behind closed doors. The Sindh government announced on 13 March that all educational institutions will remain closed until 30 May imposed a temporary ban on marriage halls, shrines and festivals in the province on 14 March. On 20 March, the
Pakistan Army The Pakistan Army (, ) is the Army, land service branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The roots of its modern existence trace back to the British Indian Army that ceased to exist following the partition of India, Partition of British India, wh ...
helped set up a 10,000-bed field hospital at Karachi's Expo Centre to isolate and treat confirmed patients. ALl expenses for its establishment were born by the provincial government. On 21 March, the Government of Sindh announced a lockdown in the province for 14 days from morning of 24 March, ordering all public transport, markets, offices, shopping malls, restaurants, and public areas to be shut down. The Sindh government announced paid leave for all workers during the lockdown, and said no would be laid off during the period under Section 3 of the Sindh Epidemic Diseases Act (2014) and other relevant labour laws. The province banned intra-city transport to minimise the outbreak and multiple violators were issued fines, impounded and cancelled. The national army was called to enforce the lockdown. On 23 March, an isolation and quarantine centre was completed at the
Jinnah Postgraduate Medical College The Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (J.P.M.C., also known as ''Jinnah Hospital, Karachi'') is located at ''Rafiqui Shaheed Road'' in Karachi Cantonment area of Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre In 2015, approximately ...
in Karachi which also provided free tests of suspected cases with results in 8 hours of sample submission. The
Pakistan Cricket Board The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is a sports governing body for cricket in Pakistan responsible for controlling and organising all tours and matches undertaken by the Pakistan national cricket team. A member of the International Cricket Coun ...
, on request from the Sindh Government, agreed to convert its Hanif Mohammad High Performance Centre into a temporary living area for paramedic staff working at the makeshift hospital at Expo Centre, Karachi on 24 March. The local police detained 472 people in various districts of the province on the day, with 222 of them in Karachi alone and a total of
FIR Firs (''Abies'') are a genus of 48–56 species of evergreen coniferous trees in the family (biology), family Pinaceae. They are found on mountains throughout much of North America, North and Central America, Europe, Asia, and North Africa. The ...
s were registered. The cases pertained to hoarding and profiteering of safety masks and hand sanitisers, large gatherings, opening shops and restaurants and travelling in passenger buses. Multiple violations of the lockdown were observed in several places across the province such as gatherings on the beach, residents being out and major markets, shopping centres,
bazaar A bazaar () or souk (; also transliterated as souq) is a marketplace consisting of multiple small Market stall, stalls or shops, especially in the Middle East, the Balkans, North Africa and India. However, temporary open markets elsewhere, suc ...
s and restaurants remained open. As a result, a taskforce meeting led by the Chief Minister was held on the next day on 25 March to take more stringent measures to ensure that all residents abided by the government orders of. It was resolved that all grocery stores and shops apart from pharmacies and medical stores to remain closed between 8 pm and 8 am. The Sindh Inspector General of Police, Javed Ahmed Mahar was directed to make measures taken in connection with the lockdown and make certain that people were not allowed to roam freely in the city unnecessarily. Additionally, the Chief Secretary and Karachi Commissioner were ordered to ensure that big factories remained closed during the lockdown and direct banks to keep only important branches operational. On 25 March, the provincial health department officials began coronavirus case mapping as per directives by the Chief Minister. He further tasked them with sharing the data with deputy commissioners so necessary measures could be taken to contain the outbreak in their respective areas. Orders were also given to improve sampling arrangements, upon which 18 vehicles of the Indus Hospital were dedicated for collecting samples from homes. The health officials briefed the Chief Minister about a new machine made at the
Wuhan Institute of Virology The Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (WIV; ) is a research institute on virology administered by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), which reports to the State Council of the People's Republic of China. The institute ...
in China, which could test secretions from the nose instead of testing throat secretion as was the current procedure. At this, the CM directed the provincial Chief Secretary to consult with medical experts whether procuring the machine would be feasible and if they deemed it to be beneficial, place an order for 100 machines. The CM further stated that he would request the federal government for a special aircraft to transport the machines if the government decided to procure them. On the same day, the local government also arranged to launch a mobile service across the province to provide rations to the needy along with daily wages to those affected by the pandemic. A number was dedicated for the service and those in need could text there. Moreover, a warehouse was established for storage of ration bags and a helpline set up for people to register for acquiring the bags. The CM also ordered to release Rs 341 million for carrying out administrative work under district administrations and spending on facilities provided to pilgrims. Shortly afterward, reports emerged that rations were being denied to minority
Hindus Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
and
Christians Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
in the coastal areas of Karachi. The
Saylani Welfare Trust Saylani Welfare International Trust is a non-government organization (NGO) focusing primarily on feeding the poor and homeless. It was established in May 1999 and is headquartered at Bahdurabad, Karachi, Pakistan. It was founded and headed by s ...
, carrying out the relief work, said that the aid was reserved for Muslims alone. On 14 April, the
US Commission on International Religious Freedom The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is a U.S. federal government commission created by the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) of 1998. USCIRF Commissioners are appointed by the President and the lead ...
expressed concern with the discrimination. Other organisations, including
Edhi Foundation The Edhi Foundation ( ur, ) is a non-profit social welfare organization based in Pakistan. It was founded by Abdul Sattar Edhi in 1951, who served as the head of the organization until his death on 8 July 2016. Bilquis Edhi, a nurse by professi ...
,
JDC Welfare Organization Jafriya Disaster Management Cell Welfare Organization (JDC), commonly known as JDC Foundation Pakistan, is a welfare and non-governmental organization (NGO) mainly operating in Pakistan. It was established in 2009 by Syed Zafar Abbas Jafri and som ...
and
Jamaat-e-Islami Jamaat-e-Islami ( ur, ) () is an Islamic movement founded in 1941 in British India by the Islamic theologian and socio-political philosopher, Syed Abul Ala Maududi.van der Veer P. and Munshi S. (eds.''Media, War, and Terrorism: Responses fro ...
are reported to have stepped forward to provide relief to the minorities. On 27 March, public holidays were extended until 5 April in the province while markets and shopping malls were to remain closed until 10 April. Ajmal Wazir, the adviser to the CM stated that the government had decided on tax exemption to facilitate the business community and protect jobs with Rs 17.5 billion reserved for wheat procurement. An amount of Rs 8 billion was also approved for district hospitals to enable them by the urgent supplies. To further enforce lockdown, the Sindh govt restricted movement between 8 am and 5 pm, while all grocery stores were ordered to be closed by 5 pm. These restrictions went into force on 28 March. Sindh Province also received 500,000 K
N95 mask An N95 filtering facepiece respirator, commonly abbreviated N95 respirator, is a particulate-filtering facepiece respirator that meets the U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) N95 classification of air filtratio ...
s from China. On 29 March, the Sindh CM approved a proposal to release about 4,000 convicts from prison to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus outbreak in the province's jails. On 30 March, the Chief Minister, Syed Murad Ali Shah made public a mobile application, namely the Sindh Relief Initiative, on which welfare organisations could register to work with the provincial government for the distribution of ration among daily-wagers at their doorstep. Also on the day, the Mayor of Karachi, Wasim Akhtar designated five cemeteries in the city for burials of those who died due to coronavirus. He said that only a few close relatives of the deceased could enter the cemetery for burial, adding that the body would be brought into the cemetery with protective measures and no last sighting would be allowed. The mayor also wrote to the National Disaster Management Authority, the provincial government and the Governor
Imran Ismail Imran Ismail ( ur, ; born 1 January 1966) is a Pakistani businessman and politician from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. He served as the 33rd Governor of Sindh from 27 August 2018 to 18 April 2022. Before being appointed Governor of Sindh, he was ...
requesting funds to provide essential equipment and ventilators to Karachi Metropolitan Corporation hospitals. The Sindh government issued a circular directing private schools across the province to pay full salaries to its teachers on time the same day. Another directive was also declared for factories and other private entities operating in the province to disburse salaries to their employees by 31 March. On 2 April, the Sindh government extended the lockdown until 14 April. It also announced new restrictions, closing down shrines and other holy sites while suspending inter and intra-city public transport. There was also a restriction on from movement of people from 5:00 pm to 08:00 am except for armed forces personnel, doctors and health professionals, persons requiring immediate medical care and persons on goods transport. The local government purchased 50,000 testing kits for the province in early April. On 30 July 2021, Chief Minister of Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah imposed a 8-day partial lockdown in Karachi, the largest city of Sindh to combat the 4th wave of COVID-19 in the city. All non essential shops, educational institutes were closed and dine in/dine out/takeaways were also not allowed in the restaurants. The Federal minister for information & broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry criticised the lockdown measures calling it "an attack on the economy". On 8 August, the Sindh Government ended the lockdown and introduced new restrictions which were far more lenient than the previous one. On Wednesday 30 June 2022, the Sindh government recorded a COVID-19 Positivity Ratio of 5.4 percent. There has been an increase in reported cases in Karachi, where 4,582 tests were conducted across the province in the past 24 hours out of which 248 persons were tested positive for COVID-19. There are 2,947 active coronavirus cases in the province.


Balochistan

The
Balochistan Government The Government of Balochistan ( ur, ) is the provincial government of the largest Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Balochistan, Pakistan in Quetta. The head of the province is the Governor, who is nominated by the President of Paki ...
constituted a 14-member technical committee in late January to tackle the outbreak. All schools have been closed until 31 March. Balochistan Minister Sardar Yar Mohammad Rind stated that "action will be taken against schools that do not comply with the decision". Matric exams have also been postponed. The province like others also requested for the army to be deployed. On 24 March, the Balochistan government imposed a complete lockdown in the entire province until 7 April. It included a complete ban on public getting out of their homes, all kinds of social and religious gatherings or any public or private event. All public and private offices were ordered closed. Exemptions included essential services such as personnel of hospitals, laboratories and medical stores, law enforcement agencies, people in need of urgent medical care with one attendant, one person per family going out to buy grocery and medicines within the vicinity of their residence and burials of people that had passed away. Only one person was allowed to travel in a private vehicle. Media personnel authorised by concerned media houses and newspaper hawkers were allowed to move freely as well. Public and private telecom companies, essential staff of banks with limited public dealing, defence-related manufacturing industries, food items manufacturing industries and distribution offices, grocery shops, petrol pumps and auto workshops and welfare organisations providing services were given permission to operate. Similar to Gilgit-Baltistan and Islamad, Section 144 was also enforced. A state of emergency was imposed in five districts which bordered Iran on 24 March.
Fumigation Fumigation is a method of pest control or the removal of harmful micro-organisms by completely filling an area with gaseous pesticides—or fumigants—to suffocate or poison the pests within. It is used to control pests in buildings (s ...
was carried out across the entire central jail of Quetta on 30 March, while spray pumps and disinfectants were distributed to 10 districts of the province. On 31 March, the provincial government released Rs 500 million for upgrading, rehabilitation & establishment of quarantine centres in the areas of
Quetta Quetta (; ur, ; ; ps, کوټه‎) is the tenth List of cities in Pakistan by population, most populous city in Pakistan with a population of over 1.1 million. It is situated in Geography of Pakistan, south-west of the country close to the ...
,
Chaman Chaman ( Balochi, Pashto and ur, ) is a city and recently claimed as a new district of Balochistan named Chaman District as it was earlier a part of district Qila Abdullah District located on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. It is the capital ...
,
Taftan Taftan (in Persian: تفتان ''Taftân'') may refer to: * Taftan (volcano), located in Sistan and Baluchestan province of Iran * Taftan, Balochistan, a town in Balochistan province of Pakistan * Taftan (bread), a leavened flour bread from Persian ...
& other areas of Balochistan. Starting from 2 April, the lockdown in the province was extended until 14 April as per directions by the federal government. On 7 April, the provincial government increased the lockdown period by adding another week, making it last until 21 April. Provincial Finance Minister, Zahoor Buledi announced on 8 April that a tax relief of Rs 1.5 billion would be given during the lockdown.


Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

The
provincial government A state government is the government that controls a subdivision of a country in a federal form of government, which shares political power with the federal or national government. A state government may have some level of political autonomy, or ...
has closed all educational institutes until 5 April and postponed all public gatherings until further notice as a preventive measure. All inter-district public transport was banned for seven days on 22 March. The province announced a partial lockdown for three days on 23 March. On 24 March, the
Peshawar High Court The Peshawar High Court ( ur, ) is the highest judicial institution of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. It is located in the provincial capital Peshawar. The Parliament passed a bill extending the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court (SC) and the Peshawar High ...
decided to shut down all courts in the province until 28 March. Only essential staff were allowed to come to courts with no more than one official in the office. On 27 March, screening teams were deputed at all district entry and exit points for screening of visitors of COVID-19 patients. The Chief Minister of the province
Mahmood Khan Mahmood Khan (Urdu, Pashto: ; born 30 October 1972) is a Pakistani politician and a member of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), who is currently serving as the 27th Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, in office since 17 August 2018. He has been ...
announced on 26 March that the government had appointed at least 1,300 new doctors on contractual basis across the province to help stem the spread of coronavirus. The KP Public Service Commission also approved the recruitment of 635 more doctors to join the province's health force. On 29 March, the government approved a Rs 32 billion stimulus economic package to provide relief to the masses and the business community amid the coronavirus crisis. Provincial Information Minister Ajmal Wazir, announced at a press conference that the relief package include Rs 11.4 billion benefiting 1.9 million deserving families, Rs 3,000 would be given under the Ehsaas programme and Rs 2,000 by the KP government. He added that the business community had also been exempted from taxes worth Rs 5 billion and the provincial government had ramped up its testing capacity with 500 new diagnostics kits. Equipment and supplies including oxygen concentrators, cardiac monitors, infusion pumps, dialysis catheter and other PPE were distributed among all districts of the province on 30 March. The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) dispatched 50,000 N95 masks to departments involved in the fight against coronavirus in the province. A total of 8,000 surgical kits and caps were also given to the health departments, along with 750 litres of sanitizers and 5,000 testing kits.Coronavirus updates, March 31: Latest news on the coronavirus pandemic from Pakistan and around the world
, Geo News, 31 March 2020
An additional 20,000 testing kits were also provided in early April. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) traders' association Sarhad Chamber of Commerce (SCC), were not same page with the government, on one hand was concerned despite business losses on account of lock down other arm of the government cutting electricity supplies on the other hand trading associations not willing to co-operate government's lockdown timing restrictions during Ramzan to recoup their losses.


Gilgit-Baltistan

On 12 March, the region's
Government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...
declared medical emergency in the province after more cases of were reported. Educational institutes were further closed until 5 April as a preventive measure. Similar to Islamabad, Section 144 was also imposed on 21 March. The provincial government decided to put the entire region on lockdown for an indefinite period on 22 March and suspended intercity transport services. Para-military forces were also tasked to ensure the lockdown. On 27 March, the Chinese government handed medical equipments and 10 tonnes of other goods to the Gilgit-Baltistan government to help it fight COVID-19. The equipment included 5 ventilators, 2,000 N95 masks, 200,000 face masks, 2,000 testing kits and medical protective kits. The same day, the government decided that all suspected travellers coming from the Taftan border would be tested for COVID-19. The local government announced that all education institutions would further remain closed until 5 April as a preventive measure. On 31 March, the
World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of h ...
staff got involved in the regions's handling of the outbreak by providing support in terms of data management at district level. Starting from 2 April, the lockdown in the region was extended until 14 April as per directions by the federal government. On 8 April, the local government decided to extend the lockdown until 21 April.


Azad Kashmir

On 14 March, the local
Government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...
declared a health emergency after a meeting of the
National Security Council A national security council (NSC) is usually an executive branch governmental body responsible for coordinating policy on national security issues and advising chief executives on matters related to national security. An NSC is often headed by a na ...
. It also announced closure of educational institutions until 6 April and secondary examinations were postponed. AJK Prime Minister
Raja Farooq Haider Raja Farooq Haider Khan is a Kashmiri politician and former Prime Minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJ&K). He is a senior member of the Pakistan Muslim League (N). Early life Raja Muhammad Farooq Haider Khan was born on 14 February 1955. He r ...
also stated that screening mechanisms were installed at all 11 points of entry while quarantine facilities were being established in all 10 districts. On 21 March, a suspension of all inter-provincial transport for three days was imposed. No public transport vehicles were allowed to either enter or leave the province. It warned that violators would be punished under the Epidemic Diseases Act. On 23 March, The AJK Prime Minister announced a 3-week lockdown for the region. Movement was restricted and special passes were issued for journalists and people travelling under inevitable circumstances while only one person from each family was allowed to go out to get food essentials. Two virology labs at Abbas Institute of Medical Sciences in Muzaffarabad started PCR testing for COVID-19 on 30 March. Starting from 2 April, the lockdown in the region was extended until 14 April as per directions by the federal government.


Islamabad

On 21 March, the city administration imposed Section 144 on the region for 15 days. All restaurants and shopping malls were ordered to be closed and violators could face legal consequences. The local Union Council in the Bhara Kahu region was sealed after 11 suspected cases emerged from there on 23 March. On 25 March, the national government shut the outpatient departments of hospitals in the capital territory to stem the spread of the virus, only the emergency services remained optional. The capital's Deputy Commissioner, Hamza Shafqat issued a notification declaring 'a complete ban on intra-city, inter-district and inter-province movement of people by public transport. However, the metro bus service will be functional but at a distance of one seat between passengers.' Furthermore, gatherings of all kinds at public and private places were banned no one was allowed to move out of their respective union councils. Starting from 2 April, the lockdown in the region was extended until 14 April as per directions by the federal government.


Impact


Politics

On 15 March, in video conference of
SAARC The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is the regional intergovernmental organization and geopolitical union of states in South Asia. Its member states are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, ...
nations on coronavirus issue, country's State Minister of Health Zafar Mirza urged India for immediate lifting of the lockdown in
Indian-administered Kashmir Kashmir () is the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term "Kashmir" denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal Range. Today, the term encompas ...
to allow virus containment measures. On 22 March, Prime Minister
Imran Khan Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi ( ur}; born 5 October 1952) is a Pakistani politician and former Cricket captain who served as the 22nd Prime Minister of Pakistan from August 2018 to until April 2022, when he was ousted through a no-confidenc ...
urged the United States President
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...
to temporarily lift sanctions on Iran. He stated on Twitter, 'I want to appeal to President Trump on humanitarian grounds to lift the sanctions against Iran until the COVID-19 pandemic is over.' The same day, the Foreign Minister
Shah Mehmood Qureshi Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Hussain Qureshi ( ur, ; born 22 June 1956) is a Pakistani politician who served as the 29th Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2018 to 2022. He previously held the post from 2008 to 2011. He has been a member of the Nationa ...
raised the issue of external debt faced by the country and how it should be relieved in repayment of loans on the phone with
Heiko Maas Heiko Josef Maas (; born 19 September 1966) is a German lawyer and politician of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) who served as the Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs (2018–2021) and as the Federal Minister of Justice and Consumer Protectio ...
, the German Foreign Minister. Qureshi reportedly told Maas that united efforts were required for dealing with the pandemic and that debt relief could help Pakistan in better handling of the outbreak in the country. He further stated that sanctions on
Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
should be lifted immediately so it could use its own resources to fight the ongoing outbreak there. In response, Maas assured him that the issues would be raised at the forthcoming G7 meeting and the
European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...
Foreign Ministers' Conference next week. He also echoed the need to lift sanctions on Iran on calls with the French Foreign Minister
Jean-Yves Le Drian Jean-Yves Le Drian (; born 30 June 1947) is a French politician who served as Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs in the First Philippe government, governments of Prime Ministers Édouard Philippe and ...
and the Spanish Foreign Minister
Arancha Gonzalez Arantza or Arantxa is a Basque people, Basque Grammatical gender#Personal names, feminine given name, meaning "thornbush". It is a hypocoristic for ''Sanctuary of Arantzazu, Our Lady of Arantzazu'', a shrine of Mary, mother of Jesus, in Gipuzkoa. ...
on 24 March. According to news report of Benazir Shah in Arab News, as of 16 June at least 97 members of national and provincial assemblies across political lines tested positive for COVID-19 and six of them died. In March 2021, Prime Minister
Imran Khan Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi ( ur}; born 5 October 1952) is a Pakistani politician and former Cricket captain who served as the 22nd Prime Minister of Pakistan from August 2018 to until April 2022, when he was ousted through a no-confidenc ...
also tested positive for the virus.


Economy

On 2 April, the
Government of Pakistan The Government of Pakistan ( ur, , translit=hakúmat-e pákistán) abbreviated as GoP, is a federal government established by the Constitution of Pakistan as a constituted governing authority of the Administrative units of Pakistan, four provin ...
announced that the Pakistani economy had lost Rs 2.5 trillion due to the
coronavirus pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...
. Some government programs were mainted through the crisis to keep people employed. For example, the
Plant for Pakistan Plant for Pakistan (Plant4Pakistan), also known as 10 Billion Tree Tsunami, is a five-year project to plant 10 billion trees across Pakistan from 2018 to 2023. Prime Minister Imran Khan started the drive on 2 September 2018 with approximately ...
reforestation Reforestation (occasionally, reafforestation) is the natural or intentional restocking of existing forests and woodlands (forestation) that have been depleted, usually through deforestation, but also after clearcutting. Management A debate ...
program was maintained through the pandemic employing 60,000 people. On 2 June, it was reported that
mango A mango is an edible stone fruit produced by the tropical tree ''Mangifera indica''. It is believed to have originated in the region between northwestern Myanmar, Bangladesh, and northeastern India. ''M. indica'' has been cultivated in South a ...
exports had declined due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On 5 June, the Pakistani Government announced plans to privatize a number of state-run industries, including the state-run Pakistan Steel Mills. Such actions led to the lay off and subsequent unemployment of over 9300 employees. On 20 June, Pakistan's
Ministry of Interior An interior ministry (sometimes called a ministry of internal affairs or ministry of home affairs) is a government department that is responsible for internal affairs. Lists of current ministries of internal affairs Named "ministry" * Ministry ...
announced that the
Torkham Torkham (; ps, , translit=tūrxam) is a major border crossing between the Pakistani city of Torkham and Afghanistan, located along the Grand Trunk Road on the international border between the two countries. It connects Nangarhar province of Af ...
and
Spin Boldak Spin Boldak ( ps, سپین بولدک) is a border town and the headquarters of Spin Boldak District in the southern Kandahar province of Afghanistan, next to the border with Pakistan. It is linked by a highway with the city of Kandahar to the n ...
borders would open for six days a week under strict health measures. On 22 June, Pakistan opened its border crossings with
Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
, allowing exports for the first time in three months. On 15 July, Pakistan allowed Afghan exports to
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
through the
Wagah border Wagah ( ur, ) or Wagha (Shahmukhi pnb, ) is a village and union council (UC 181) located in the Wahga Zone near Lahore City District, Pakistan. The town is famous for the Wagah border ceremony and also serves as a goods transit terminal and ...
, after taking COVID-19 measures. On 17 July, China applauded the resumption of trade relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan after five land crossings had opened. The five land crossings were
Torkham Torkham (; ps, , translit=tūrxam) is a major border crossing between the Pakistani city of Torkham and Afghanistan, located along the Grand Trunk Road on the international border between the two countries. It connects Nangarhar province of Af ...
,
Chaman Chaman ( Balochi, Pashto and ur, ) is a city and recently claimed as a new district of Balochistan named Chaman District as it was earlier a part of district Qila Abdullah District located on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. It is the capital ...
,
Ghulam Khan Ghulām Khān (Pashto/) is a town in North Waziristan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Ghulam Khan is on the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan. It is the third most important border crossing point between Pakistan and Afghanistan, after Wesh ...
,
Angur Ada Angur Ada (, literally: "Grape Base" in Pashto) is a town in the Barmal Valley, straddling the border between the South Waziristan of Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Afghanistan's Paktika Province (Barmal District). It is one of the few easy pass ...
and Dand-e-Patan.


Healthcare professionals

The federal government's economic relief package also benefited the healthcare professionals in the country. It was decided that if a doctor or a paramedic died while treating coronavirus patients, they would be considered martyrs and their families would receive the package that is given to martyrs. Making a landmark, the Pakistani
Law enforcement Law enforcement is the activity of some members of government who act in an organized manner to enforce the law by discovering, deterring, rehabilitating, or punishing people who violate the rules and norms governing that society. The term en ...
presented the
Guard of honour A guard of honour ( GB), also honor guard ( US), also ceremonial guard, is a group of people, usually military in nature, appointed to receive or guard a head of state or other dignitaries, the fallen in war, or to attend at state ceremonials, ...
as a mark of respect from 27 to 29 March to the doctors and para medical staff fighting on the front lines of the global COVID-19 outbreak across the country in different cities. The medical staff of a Mayo hospital in Lahore were given a guard of honour by the Lahore police for their efforts to help Pakistan fight the coronavirus pandemic. Observing social distance (home-quarantined) citizens of Pakistan together with celebrities raised white flags on 27 March across Pakistan from their balconies, rooftops expressing love for the doctors and para-medics who are combating without fearing from the epidemic COVID-19 virus. The Government of Punjab announced a one-month honorarium for the healthcare workers at the end of March. This meant that in case a healthcare worker died, a martyr package was included in the regional government's relief package. Medical professionals across the province were also provided with one-month additional salary in recognition of their services. ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' interviewed a doctor, who said that the country's mishandling of the outbreak to be "depressing and disturbing". Doctors in Pakistan have complained about the lack of personal protection equipment (PPE) required to deal with the coronavirus, and that without protection doctors have become infected and in turn were infecting other patients. On 6 April, police broke up protests in
Quetta Quetta (; ur, ; ; ps, کوټه‎) is the tenth List of cities in Pakistan by population, most populous city in Pakistan with a population of over 1.1 million. It is situated in Geography of Pakistan, south-west of the country close to the ...
by more than 100 doctors, who were demanding better safety equipment. Police arrested 53 doctors involved in these protests, and doctors reported being "beaten and humiliated" by the police. By 7 May, COVID-19 had infected more than 500 Pakistani healthcare workers. Human Rights Watch criticised the closing of maternity wards in various hospitals due to some healthcare workers becoming infected while attending maternity wards. They alleged this put the already challenged
reproductive health Sexual and reproductive health (SRH) is a field of research, healthcare, and social activism that explores the health of an individual's reproductive system and sexual wellbeing during all stages of their life. The term can also be further de ...
of
Pakistani women Women in Pakistan make up 48.76% of the population according to the 2017 Census of Pakistan, 2017 census of Pakistan. Women in Pakistan have played an important role throughout Pakistan's history and they are allowed to vote in elections since ...
at more risk. According to a recent study, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a tumultuous effect on dentists as well.


Sport

Fears of the
coronavirus disease Coronavirus diseases are caused by viruses in the coronavirus subfamily, a group of related RNA viruses that cause diseases in mammal Mammals () are a group of vertebrate animals constituting the class Mammalia (), characterized by ...
spreading alarmed the Sindh provincial government, who announced on 13 March that remaining matches of the
2020 Pakistan Super League 2020 Pakistan Super League (also known as PSL 5 or for sponsorship reasons as HBL PSL 2020) was the fifth season of the Pakistan Super League, a franchise Twenty20 cricket league which was established by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in 2015. ...
(PSL), scheduled in
Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former cap ...
, would be played behind closed doors. Similarly,
Pakistan Cricket Board The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is a sports governing body for cricket in Pakistan responsible for controlling and organising all tours and matches undertaken by the Pakistan national cricket team. A member of the International Cricket Coun ...
(PCB) offered international players participating in PSL to leave for their home countries (if they wish so), while PSL continues as per schedule. 10 international players and one international staff member opted to leave the tournament. The Final match in
Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city. ...
, was rescheduled to 18 March instead of 22 March. On 17 March 2020, the knockout fixtures (both Semi-finals and Final) of Pakistan Super League (PSL) were indefinitely postponed due to the sudden spike in coronavirus cases in Pakistan. After six years, when
Pakistan Football Federation League The Pakistan Football Federation League ( ur, پاکستان فٹ بال فیڈریشن لیگ ; abbreviated: PFFL), also known as the 'B' Division League, is a Pakistani semi-professional league for men's association football departments and club ...
returned, the matches were played before 16 March 2020. On 16 March 2020, the
Pakistan Football Federation Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) is the governing body of association football in Pakistan. Founded in 1947, its headquarters are at the FIFA Football House in Lahore, Punjab (Pakistan), Punjab near Punjab Stadium. The federation manages the ...
released a notification announcing that the matches were postponed. The Federal Minister for Inter Provincial Coordination Dr.
Fehmida Mirza Fahmida Mirza ( ur, ; born 20 December 1956) is a Pakistani politician who was Federal Minister for Inter Provincial Coordination, in office from 20 August 2018 until 10 April 2022. She served as the 18th and only women Speaker of the National ...
on 30 March announced to create fund to cover all medical expenses of sports persons infected with COVID-19 in Pakistan.Fehmida announces to create fund for sports persons
, Radio Pakistan, 30 March 2020


Religion

Social distancing being important step to be followed by all to combat COVID-19 pandemic, some religious activities came under critical lens in Pakistan. Returning devotees from Iran, a Tablighi Jamaat religious gathering and prayer congregations became a cause of concern due to their potential to exacerbate the outbreak in the country. However, sops were followed during Eid Ul Adha and hence there was no spike in the cases reported. Cardinal Joseph Coutts of the
Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
implored the faithful to follow proper measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus and encouraged interfaith solidarity amidst the pandemic:


Unemployment

The Ministry of Planning has estimated that 12.3 million to 18.5 million people will become jobless due to pandemic. Moreover, it is estimated that the number of unemployed people in Pakistan will reach 6.65 million in the 2020–2021 fiscal year, compared to 5.80 million in the previous fiscal year. The COVID-19 pandemic is cited to be one of the largest factors causing the increase in the unemployment rate, particularly among vulnerable employment groups and daily wage workers. As of July 2021, about 20.7 million workers in Pakistan were jobless due to COVID-19 lockdowns and other restrictions. End of Mandatory SOPs On March 16, Head of NCOC, Assad Umar announced to end mandatory SOPs except vaccination. In a media talk, he said that government may impose restrictions again if ratio of cases surges. According to Assad, the decision has been taken due to continuous decline of Coronavirus.


Statistics


See also

*
Timeline of the COVID-19 pandemic in Pakistan The COVID-19 pandemic in Pakistan is part of the ongoing pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 () caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (). The virus was confirmed to have reached Pakistan on 26 February 2020, when two c ...
**
2020 Tablighi Jamaat COVID-19 hotspot in Pakistan A Tablighi Jamaat religious congregation that took place in Lahore's Raiwind Markaz in early March 2020 was a COVID-19 super-spreader event with more than 539 confirmed cases linked to the event being reported across the country. Science and Te ...
** Daily COVID-19 Pakistan cases *
COVID-19 pandemic in Asia The COVID-19 pandemic began in Asia in Wuhan, Hubei, China, and has spread widely through the continent. As of , at least one case of COVID-19 had been reported in every country in Asia except Turkmenistan. The Asian countries with the highe ...
**
COVID-19 pandemic in South Asia Countries and territories in South Asia have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The first South Asian country to report a confirmed case was Nepal, which documented its first case on 23 January 2020, in a man who had returned from Wuhan ...
*
2020 in Pakistan Events from the year 2020 in Pakistan. Incumbents National government Provincial governments Events January *January 1 – February 28 – Bangladeshi cricket team in Pakistan in 2019–20. *January 10 **January 2020 Quetta bombing. **J ...
**
COVID-19 pandemic in Jammu and Kashmir The first case of the COVID-19 pandemic in India was reported on 30 January 2020, originating from China. Slowly, the pandemic spread to various states and union territories including the Indian-administered union territory of Jammu and Kashmi ...
*
Pakistan's Corona Relief Tiger Force Pakistan Corona Relief Tiger Force is a newly development volunteer task force to provide health facilities affected area of the Pakistan. According to Pakistan's prime minister Mr Imran khan we created this volunteer health force because of ou ...
*
National Command and Operation Center The National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) (April 2020-April 2022) was the principal body governing the policies and implementation of the national COVID-19 effort of Pakistan. It was formed in on the orders of the Prime Minister of Pakista ...
(NCOC)


Notes

:A. As of 27 April 2020


References


External links


NIH
{{Portal bar, COVID-19, Pakistan, Medicine, Viruses, Asia
Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
Coronavirus pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...
Coronavirus pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...
Health in Pakistan Imran Khan administration