Insta
‘Only Two Old Ventilators, No Medical Supplies’: People In Gilgit-Baltistan Suffer Amid Coronavirus Outbreak
Swarajya Staff
Jun 05, 2020, 01:14 PM | Updated 01:14 PM IST
Save & read from anywhere!
Bookmark stories for easy access on any device or the Swarajya app.
In a worrying development, the people in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan occupied Kashmir are facing severe threats due to lack of medical facilities and food shortages, reports ANI.
The region has already reported over 800 cases but faces severe lack of medical infrastructure to deal with the crisis. As per report, Gilgit-Baltistan has only two old model ventilators and the region has not received any medical aid and supplies from the Pakistani government to counter the grave situation.
Dr Amjad Ayub Mirza, a human rights activist from PoK tweeted, "Only two ventilators available in Gilgit-Baltistan and Pakistan and China have started the construction of USD 14 billion Diamer-Basha Dam today. This clearly shows that the Pakistani military or civil governments do not care about our people."
Also, there is no proper testing facility in the PoK, nor do they have doctors who are trained in coronavirus tests and testing kits.
“They (government) receive funds and donations, but they use those funds for their own purpose and not for the welfare of people. However, they do not realise that it is the people who have mandated them to power and position. I hereby request the authorities to pay attention to this region, which was already deprived of rights. Now with coronavirus, the unemployment has grown massively,” said Mohammad Bakar Mehedi, a lawyer based in Astore.
Notably, earlier Kashmiri political activists had accused Pakistan of shifting coronavirus affected people from its most populous province, Punjab, and the rest of the country to Mirpur city in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Gilgit Baltistan.
Save & read from anywhere!
Bookmark stories for easy access on any device or the Swarajya app.
Support Swarajya's 50 Ground Reports Project & Sponsor A Story
Every general election Swarajya does a 50 ground reports project.
Aimed only at serious readers and those who appreciate the nuances of political undercurrents, the project provides a sense of India's electoral landscape. As you know, these reports are produced after considerable investment of travel, time and effort on the ground.
This time too we've kicked off the project in style and have covered over 30 constituencies already. If you're someone who appreciates such work and have enjoyed our coverage please consider sponsoring a ground report for just Rs 2999 to Rs 19,999 - it goes a long way in helping us produce more quality reportage.
You can also back this project by becoming a subscriber for as little as Rs 999 - so do click on this links and choose a plan that suits you and back us.
Click below to contribute.