‘We must fight this global challenge together’: Imran Khan expresses solidarity with India amid COVID crisis

Islamabad: As India battles a massive surge in coronavirus cases amid an oxygen shortage, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday expressed solidarity with the country, saying the world needs to “fight this global challenge together.”

“I want to express our solidarity with people of India as they battle a dangerous wave of #COVID19. Our prayers for speedy recovery go to all those suffering from pandemic in our neighbourhood & world. We must fight this global challenge confronting humanity together,” he said.

Pakistan foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi also expressed support to the people of India and said the Covid-19 crisis is yet another reminder that humanitarian issues require responses beyond political consideration.

“We express our support to the people of India in the wake of the current wave of #COVID19 infections that has hit our region hard. On behalf of the people of Pakistan, I extend our heartfelt sympathies to the affected families in #India,” Qureshi tweeted.

“#COVID19 is yet another reminder that humanitarian issues require responses beyond political consideration. Pakistan continues to work with SAARC countries to foster cooperation to tackle the pandemic,” he added.

India – hit by a second wave of coronavirus – is struggling to contain a massive spike in cases amid an acute shortage of oxygen supply. Hospitals in several states are reeling under a shortage of medical oxygen and beds in view of the steep rise in the number of COVID-19 cases.

The country on Saturday logged a record single-day rise of 3,46,786 coronavirus cases, pushing the tally of infection to 1,66,10,481. Active cases crossed the 25-lakh mark, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Saturday.

The death toll climbed to 1,89,544 with a record 2,624 more fatalities in a day. The number of people who have recuperated from the disease rose to 1,38,67,997, while the case fatality rate has dropped to 1.14 per cent, the data stated.

On Friday, Pakistan’s philanthropist organisation Edhi Welfare Trust on Friday offered to send 50 ambulances and support staff to India to help the country in fighting the deadly COVID-19 pandemic.

Faisal Edhi, who heads the trust, in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said the organisation was closely following the COVID-19 situation in India.

“We are very sorry to hear about the exceptionally heavy impact that the pandemic has had on your country, where a tremendous number of people are suffering immensely,” he wrote in the letter.

Pakistan reported its highest daily death toll since the onset of the pandemic on Saturday with 157 deaths taking the death toll to 16,999. It also reported 5,908 fresh cases which pushed its tally to 790,016.