Islamabad: (Parliament Times) Sardar Masood Khan, President Azad Jammu and Kashmir, has said that the continued lockdown in Indian Occupied and Jammu and Kashmir may lead to an increase in coronavirus infections within the occupied territory. He said that victims living in IOJK have to be provided with the best medical facilities to help fight the coronavirus.
In a statement issued by the President’s Office, he said that the lockdown imposed by India has restricted the flow of information and essential medical supplies into the occupied territory. He added that international protocols for quarantine and treatment should be implemented in IOJK to help contain the emergence of new cases.
The AJK President urged India to allow international health organizations and medical experts entry into IOJK to help identify and treat the victims, and also assist in implementing fail-safe mechanisms to contain and control the further spread of the virus.
Masood Khan said that World Health Organization (WHO) has declared Covid-19 as a global pandemic and India, without any discrimination, should play a positive role by lifting the siege in IOJK and allowing the people in IOJK access to health facilities. He said that this is no less than a health emergency and the lack of any credible information relating to the outbreak of the virus in IOJK is a matter of concern. “The actual number of infected people cannot be ascertained and the world has to rely on the ‘information’ passed onto it by the Indian government”, he said.
The President said that the AJK Government has established three quarantine centres to handle any suspected victims. He said that a health emergency has been declared in AJK and the Government has also welcomed WHO representatives to AJK for the identification of the coronavirus in the liberated territory. Special measures have been adopted including screening people at all entry points to Azad Kashmir, he added