Pandemic coronavirus threatens to cause serious political crisis in Pakistan. The opposition accuses the Prime Minister of Imran Khan and his Cabinet in the absence of a strategy for the fight against the pandemic amid a sharp increase in the number of cases. The situation escalated after the authorities refused to impose a quarantine during the celebration on April 23 the month of Ramadan. Pakistan remains one of the few countries of the Islamic world, has not closed the mosque. The most active part of society were doctors: they are not only struggling with COVID-19, but also conduct hunger strikes and other protests.Announced at the end of last week in the largest Pakistani province of Punjab, the hunger strike of the doctors and nurses will be indefinite. “We are at the forefront of the fight against the virus, and if we are not protected, in danger the entire population,” said one of the organizers, President of the Association of young doctors of Punjab Salman Haseeb. Across the country, the coronavirus has infected 150 doctors and nurses (total number of infected in Pakistan exceeds 14.4 thousand people).The indignation of physicians, working with patients with coronavirus caused a severe shortage of personal protective equipment, and lack of authorities ‘ response to numerous calls to take action to solve the problem. The beginning of the hunger strike was preceded by a decision last Saturday by the High court of Lahore (capital of Punjab) the decision to reject the Association of young doctors the claim with the requirement to provide them with the necessary conditions for work. “The doctors filed a frivolous lawsuit, guided by the sole purpose of cheap PR. The court reserves the right to take action against people filing unnecessary petitions,” reads the verdict. The judgement also States that “the pandemic has affected the whole world and even developed countries face difficulties in the purchase and provision of personal protective equipment for medical workers”.”We do not intend to stop until the government stops ignoring us and listen to our requirements,”— said in response to Salman Haseeb. With him in the hunger strike in ten-Lahore attended by about 30 doctors and nurses. About two hundred of their colleagues follow each other to protest at the building of the local administration.In the beginning of April in Quetta, the capital of the largest and bordering with Iran, Baluchistan province, during an unsanctioned rally were arrested about 50 physicians.Meanwhile, the leadership of the ruling party “TERIK-I-Insaf” (“Movement for justice”), led by former cricket star Prime Minister Imran Khan, accusing doctors that they have become a tool in the hands of the opposition, which represents the Pakistan peoples party of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and the Muslim League (N) one ��yvshego Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.In turn, the opposition insists that the government acted too late and is still limited to half-measures, and without having a across the country hard lockdown, allowing thousands of pilgrims to freely travel in the throes of a pandemic, neighboring Iran and refusing to test.Only at the end of March in Pakistan has established a national coordinating Committee for the fight against the pandemic, which also included representatives of the military leadership. However, the subsequent attempt to develop a national consensus on the fight against the pandemic ended in failure: the history of the leaders of the parliamentary parties and the leadership of the Pakistani provinces, convened at the initiative of the opposition, the practical results have not led. Prime Minister Imran Khan has opposed the proposed authorities of the regions of the restrictive measures.In response, the government controlled by the opposition Pakistan people’s party’s Sindh province where the country’s largest city of 18 million population of Karachi took the initiative in their own hands and began unilaterally to introduce unauthorized Islamabad harsh measures, ignoring the instructions of the Pakistani government. The situation worsened even more after the Prime Minister Imran Khan, ignoring the calls of the Association of physicians to introduce measures of social distancing, refused to ban the visit to the mosques and to close the markets and public places during the outbreak on 23 April, the month of Ramadan (the celebration will run until may 23). Urging the people to pray at home, the Prime Minister, however, immediately clarified that his appeal to the citizens is purely Advisory in nature. “Ramadan is a month of worship, people want to go to mosques. Pakistan is an independent country and independent people to decide what’s best for their country,”— said the Prime Minister. Thus, Pakistan is one of the few Islamic countries that have decided not to cancel the common prayer during a pandemic.The refusal of Imran Khan to ban visits to mosques in Ramadan due to his reluctance to enter into conflict with the powerful Pakistani Islamists, who at the time was his situational allies during mass protests against the government of Nawaz Sharif.Meanwhile, according to informed sources, “b”, the Premier cause of increasing dissatisfaction with the military elite, which at the time helped him come to power. At critical moments in the development of the country by the Pakistani security forces are the guarantors of stability. At the end of last week, the military leadership issued a separate statement calling on Pakistanis to pray at home and warned that the next weeks “will be crucial”.��of erga Stroking
