The Daily PakistanPolitics April01-15, 2020

• April13,2020--government claims losing 1/3 of revenues...5500 billion-1833=3666.7billion...earlier forecasts were for 4500 billion...the government might be overestimating at this time...they are also claiming 50% loss in exports...both will pick up easily once the world reaches normalcy in about two months...ie July 2020...!exports were normal upto march...!probably revenues will end up around the 4.2 trillion and as such would be equal to last years...governments claim of Rs5.5 trillion had already been thought of as over ambitious...which led to the firing of the FBR chief...the government had claimed the higher price of the dollar would require lesser loans to overcome the deficit...with billions outflowing in FDI and dollar climbing the government should understand where its problems lie. Lower revenues when it is doing nothing hardly matter...the problem is that Imran Khan does not understand that the solution is not subsidizing export and industry which are at a standstill
  
• April13,2020--Pakistan's situation looks slightly better if one calculates the active cases...5415-1095-94=4226
  
• April12,2020--it might be an intelligent virus and be able to sidestep precautions and still infiltrate the human body...some immune systems donot react to fiercely while others take the patient to the grave...doctors should treat the patients on a anti malarial parasitic drug chloroquin /ivermectin/japanese quinine and anti viral favipiravir/Avgan...some sort of anti inflammatory is also needed...there are reports that some patients in south korea and and China have had a second attack/relapse...!the cases are higher/million in very cold areas and islands...i suppose any available anti viral should work...while chloroquin might take ten days...ivermectin and an antiviral work in just a few days...the inflammation in the chest must be handled quickly...mild infections such as a mild fever and a cold can be handled normally...if you delay you might need remdesivir or a plasma injection...symptoms will have tobe treated as the corona gets into a severe phase
  
• April12,2020--US corona deaths the highest in the world at 21656...the highest cases per million people is in San Marino/Andorra at 10603/7750...most of europe has cases per million of above 1000...deaths and cases are highest in very cold areas while warm areas have a lesser occurrence...most islands have high cases per million..worldwide deaths surge to 112241 with 1807939 cases...state systems seem to handle things better in this field...In pakistan cases mount 5239 and 91 deaths...balochistan and GB seem tobe steady while cases still increasing in other areas
  
• April11,2020--A frail looking Boris Johnson climbs out of ICU...looking weak probably because of his floppy hair and his sunken eyes...
  
• April11,2020--Imran Khan was sighted wearing an N97 mask in balochistan after the president was accused of looting a mask meant for pakistani doctors...
  
• April11,2020--Pakistan banns export of malaria tablets but allows export of sugar...!
  
• April11,2020--more pakistani's may have died in the USA says the Pakistan embassy...which is trying to get a number...they say over a hundred Pakistanis may have died in new York alone including a major generals son...
  
• April11,2020--reports of the USA having surpassed the Italy-19468 death numbers...amongst muslim countries Iran and Turkey have a large number of patients...US corona patients jump to 519453...In Pakistan cases rise to 5030 with 86 deaths...There is blood on your hands sania...is as they say it in the USA as old women dies in Multan while hassling to get her cash cheque...
  
• April10,2020--worldwide deaths jump to 101526 and cases to 1673423...The USA feels that a lockdown and social distancing may decrease deaths to around 60000 while Trump puts it at under 100000...Democrats rubbing it in and they say Trump could not control it...!USA deaths increasing by a thousand or more everyday...cases in USA near a half million and deaths over 16000...deaths in Italy 18547...USA now in second place
  
• April10,2020--Pakistan covid cases inch up too 4780 with 72 deaths...Baluchistan regarded as stable viz patients and there being no one in the ICU...theoretically Baluchistan with 219 patients could quarantine them and end its province wise lockdown...Islamabad with 107 cases could too..although cases in Islamabad are coming from new areas on a very small scale...only Sindh and Punjab are nervous about what might happen...AJK cases jump to 33
  
• April10,2020--a few countries and south pacific islands have not announced any crona cases...primarily North Korea, Lesotho, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan
  
• April10,2020--government starts distributing cash handouts to about 13 million people getting $71.85(Rs.12000) per family..internet calculations suggest that a small family can get its food rations from Rs.3000-4000 per month...While Imran Khan/Sania Nishtar are regarded as quite mean/tight fisted where ordinary people are concerned but are not afraid to distribute Rs.300 billion to a few hundred industrialists...just for comparisions...a large part of the populace which some calculate at 35% maybe jobless and penniless looking around for handouts...some fancy charities like Afridi and others have tried to hand out food items as much as they can but there is nothing for some apart from the soup kitchens such as Sailani...In the now rich west a century ago there were long lines at what are called soup kitchens where everybody could get some nourishment...while unemployment in the USA is the highest in history Trump has been trying to get $1000 to 4000 to almost all individuals even those that donot pay taxes...
  
• April9,2020--people being stopped from visiting graveyards on shab baraat in Islamabad...too many people in a place creates a danger of the disease spreading faster even if there is one ill person around
  
• April9,2020--88567 deaths worldwide as victims near 1.5 million...those recovered nearing rise slightly to 22%...most deaths in the developed countries...
  
• April9,2020--Pakistan says that it tested 3000 people yesterday for the corona virus...with testing slowly increasing it is automatically suggested that more people maybe listed as being corona victims...up-to now the increase is steady... a hundred to 200 per day...however the widespread nature of the disease and supposedly every possible problem being tested might eventually save the day...corona victims in Rawalpindi rise to 107
  
• April8,2020--worldwide deaths reach 87172 amongst 1439900...in Pakistan cases rise to 4112 and 60 deaths...worldwide there were 81 k new cases yesterday
  
• April8,2020--given the way it spreads in the developed world the virus probably lasts much longer in the air...They should try keeping the patients in a very hot room or give them a hot sauna...In poorer countries and religious congregations it spreads differently...religious meetings have been at the heart of the spread in many countries like Iran, South Korea, France, Pakistan, Israel...religious groups travel a lot thus transferring the disease from country to country apart from ordinary travellers...it also seems to spread a lot in crowded circumstances which could be trains, buses and mass transport systems
  
• April8,2020--It seems that Imran Khan is actually the sugar makers right hand man...with the sugar crushing season over until later this year he says that he has allowed sugar export to help farmers...!i think he should have said that i have done it help my jigri yaar, ministers and allies who all have sugar factories...one now has extreme doubts about who is corrupt and chakry...Jehangir Tareen looks like a boy who has a paper route compared to the chakar pe chakar Imran Khan...2 million tons of sugar works out to around 10 kg per person...with the industries, mithaishops and bakeries huge usage that would come out to a few kilos per person...there will be shortage again if you allow exports and also have to subsidize the export...Hafeez sheikh is again working on giving further subsidies to business and who else will have to pay for the gas and electricity losses...the people...maybe we should get rid of both Imran Khan and Hafeez Sheikh...!
  
• April7,2020--In a move that some say was designed by Jehangir Tareen... Imran Khan goes for a mild reshuffle of faces...he fires minister of state for economic affairs and makes him industries minister...Fires food security minister and makes him economics minister...Brings in Fakhr Imam as food security minister who was head of the kashmir committee..brings in semi tainted Azam Swati as minister of Narcotics and Baber Awan comes in as an advisor for parliamentary affairs...Punjab and the centre both have brothers in the finance ministry...Jehangir Tareen a PTI outrider says he has not been removed from the Task force on Agriculture...Technically both agriculture and industries are provincial subjects..some secretaries were reshuffled as well...while the cause is said tobe the sugar and wheat crisis...there was no particular reason for what appear tobe promotions rather than demotions which should have occurred...this is the third job for Khusro bakhtiar which might anoint him as a Imran Khan insider...a recent reports suggests that the bakhtiar clan has around 100 acres and also owns several sugar mills and power production units which these days are a bonanza at best...another change which has been suggested is that Asad Umar has been made planning and special initiatives minister...that leaves a few others growsing for a return...Jehangir Tareen still counts himself as an Imran Khan friend...it seems that the reshuffle is an allies readjustment as well as Aminul Haq comes in as Telecom minister
  
• April7,2020--Things deteriorate on the corona front worldwide though cases might have started to decline from a high of 100k per day...the last daily increase is 72.9k...USA deaths are over 10000 and Boris Johnston the UK premier is in a ICU...The last UK premier to die in office was in 1865...his pregnant girlfriend is also recovering from corona...In Pakistan cases rise to 4006 and 55 deaths...In punjab cases climb to 2004...cases in KP climb to 500...worldwide deaths from corona rise to 76420 and cases 1363365...
  
• April6,2020--complaints mount against the absence of senior doctors from PIMs...chief of Dermatology Dr Ikramullah Khan is routinely absent and the government has authorized the ED to take action...while patients have abandoned hospitals as their outpatient deptts are said tobe closed
  
• April6,2020--The federal government says that it will start Rs.12000 payouts to 13 million families on the 8th...Punjab and Sindh to also support another 700000 and 250000
  
• April6,2020--In Pakistan at this time 3520 cases and 52 deaths with 1684 in Punjab...Punjab government still eases up on the shutdown of industries although Chinese urge another closure for 28 days
  
• April6,2020--numbers are so high worldwide that their meaning is almost none...Germany becomes the fourth country to have over a 100000 cases...France coming up behind with the UK also in deep trouble and Iran's cases reach 60000...Deaths reach 70356...while around 20% patients have recovered todate...deaths might be below the actuals as the normal dead were not checked...the corona problem is worse in developed countries
  
• April6,2020--In a spike Pakistani cases rise to 3123 with 45 deaths...206 cases in GB and 1380 in Punjab
  
• April5,2020--Australian doctors say that just one dose of anti parasitic "Ivermectin" kills the virus in vitro in 48 hours...
  
• April5,2020--China says it has given pakistan two whole lines to manufacture masks automatically...this response caused by Indian propaganda that the Chinese had given Pakistan masks made of underwear cloth...underwear fabric is cloth too...!
  
• April5,2020--70 corona patients in Rawalpindi and 104 in Rawalpindi Division...27 districts in Punjab have corona patients...three streets in 22#Chungi sealed...walk thru disinfectant gates are popular in Islamabad
  
• April5,2020--Islamabad allows soap factories to open as well as pet shops...four hotels tobe hired for quarantining international passengers...apparently there were no soap factories in Islamabad
  
• April5,2020--In Pakistan 2816 confirmed cases and 44 deaths...The government estimates upto 50000 cases approx by end April...Of these 2392 would be critical and 7042 serious...Pakistan cases increased by 124 in one day which is probably the base of the governments calculations...that means deaths could be anywhere between 2000-5000...as per current situation deaths should be upto a 700-1000
  
• April5,2020--more than 14744 have died in Italy and 11000 in Spain...daily case increases are still around 3.9%(case total of 110000) in Italy which they think is peaking...China still has upto a hundred new cases mostly coming from overseas...the world death toll is 64795 in more than 1.2 million cases
  
• April5,2020--China is the biggest producer in the world...it also produces 3M masks and that is what the USA needs...several plane loads of upto a million masks have flown to the USA...The USA is now the biggest center of the corona virus with New York and surrounding areas hard hit...New Yorks death toll has surpassed that of 9/11...The USA has around 300000 cases with 114000 in just New York and a death toll of 3565 up 630 of the previous day...New Jersey has a caseload of 34000...
  
• April4,2020--a man from Murree self immolated himself to ashes in front of the Imran Khan offices in Islamabad...he said in a suicide note that he had no confidence left in the police/govt...PTI police sources said that he was a proclaimed offender and wanted for child abuse...The deceased had sent a complaint to the Primeministers portal but to no avail and said he was not even allowed to enter the police offices...
  
• April4,2020--The Pakistani construction industry is based on a very few big contractors who generally build roads, housing, overheads, drains, pipelines, underpasses and bridges like Bahria, FWO, Descon, NL,DHA, Mcdonald-layton...etc. most of them donot have permanent workers and are not expected to suffer anyway...most construction companies are usually involved in building housing estates and colonies which you can find on all Rawalpindi suburbs upto Wah...most of the countries bigger contracts nowadays go to the chinese...so one does not know who Imran Khan is funding/favoring/helping with his pro construction measures...apart from around 10-15 contractors most are small to medium firms mostly with no permanent workers...The military has been using a british contractor to build their housing since the 1960's...the smaller contractors work is mostly based on provincial contracts and LG work which is shut down for the present...apart from PTI's KP contractors who failed terribly in building the corruption ridden Peshawar Metro...the Naya Daur housing also was being divied up by major contractors like DHA, the Chinese and FWO...the first item that their source of funding would not be questioned comes right out of the pakistani corruption manual...Imran Khan has become a big fan of the corrupt mafiosi/breed(nobody is surprised as his left hand man was the chakry sugar tycoon Jehangir Tareen famous for buying up politicians and even parties)...Imran Khan started out with helping out the honest corrupt beaurocrats...they did it in good faith...!Than there was the CJ Nisar era when anybody could bring back their resources without being checked...and now the most corrupt industry in pakistan who created the word thekedary/commission/rates etc. also donot have to explain their wealth...than he let Nawaz Sharif go...there are no other types of corrupt people left Imran Khan...it just goes to prove that the brick story is correct...others say PTI politicians are always around an inauguration even those that have left their jobs...!the PTI's new motto...we will take our share...who else is there to take it...!might be the next Imran Khan installment of the economic doleout maybe meant for Sugar makers and wheat importers...!
  
• April3,2020--cases in Pakistan rise to 2542 with 37 deaths...cases in punjab rise to 1012...four more cases in Islamabad 68...cases in GB 190...KP 311...
  
• April3,2020--The government should take the cover of the corona virus and apply force majeure and cancel all contracts with IPP's...IPP's have been been given high rates and a 60% capacity payment if they are not utilised...
  
• April3,2020--all those convicted of murdering Daniel Pearl have been acquitted while the main accused Ahmed Omar Sheikh a british national has been sentenced to seven years for kidnapping...since they have been in jail for 18 years they have already served their sentences...the appeal was filed in 2002 against a terrorism courts verdict
  
• April3,2020--world corona virus cases rose to the million mark...1039166...they doubled in the last eight days and deaths to 54369...recovered rose to 212072...US deaths have climbed to 5789 and reports of people dying in New York hospital corridors without medical help and being carried away in lorries from hospitals back doors..hospitals in New York are overwhelmed and the Navy ship only took in a few patients...estimates of deaths in the USA rise to 240000...government trying to arrange bodybags for the eventuality...The chinese had urns ready for an years normal deaths...!deaths also rising to 3658 in the UK despite a National Health Service
  
• April3,2020--Some sort of food distribution has been started by philanthropists however Ehsaas is still moving slowly...it should not matter if a few undeserving get something...given the situation as relatively better earners and small shopkeepers are also being stifled
  
• April3,2020--Imran Khan is a bad man...he refuses to wear a mask or adopt social distancing...
  
• April3,2020--Islamabad as a region might fare better than other places...yesterday they had no new cases but today they have six more in Bara Kahu...so they have literally closed all entrances to Islamabad except for those on emergency duty or need...there were two more cases in Rawalpindi so technically we maybe nearing a flattening of the curve...most of those in isolation and quarantining are tableeghis...The government has allowed several flights in and we will have to see how that results...in lahore cases rise by a hundred
  
• April2,2020--Imran Khan is apparently the minister of Industries...technically industries are a provincial subject...amongst reports that Bajwa-Imran Khan own a joint construction firm that has gone bankrupt...Imran Khan after doling out Rs280 billlion to export industries now wants to save the construction industry...The best he can do is get the virus problem over and than study what losses the industries have suffered...and than dole out what the government can...Industrialists are the rich men of pakistan and technically can weather the storm...he should focus on solving the problems faced first by virus victims and than the jobless
  
• April2,2020--In pakistan 2355 cases and 32 deaths...Baluchistan, KP and GB have a similar number of cases while punjab leads with 914
  
• April2,2020--worldwide cases of corona mount to 938783 and deaths at 47273...216722 cases in the USA
  
• April1,2020--Government thinking of reviving PIA flights from 4th April while Zafar Mirza says Corona victims being treated like criminals
  
• April1,2020--In the USA things getting complicated...another cruise line travels towards Florida with numerous patients...while a aircraft carrier in Guam has around 100 patients out of the 4000 crew ...almost 70000 patients in New York although the rest of the USA does not have severe eruptions...New Orleans they say could become another problem...the first 35 victims of the virus were at an old peoples home...
  
• April1,2020--PPP severely critisizes PTI's covid governance...they say a quarantine center in Kasur was filled with 100 potential patients milling around...others say that Imran Khan's delay in announcing a lockdown has created severe problems...many others say that Imran Khan is more interested in running unnecessary industries rather than focusing totally on the virus...around 30000 families need food aid in Islamabad alone...
  
• April1,2020--Karachi which is a big city and has other types of patients as well is facing problems as Hospitals have shutdown outpatient deptts out of fear
  
• April1,2020--government revenues which were rising wrt. last year despite being less than projections have in March fallen below last years collection...government should reduce development expenses further due to the situation...Rs325 billion were collected in March despite a target of Rs525 billion and last years collection of Rs375 billion...consumption will fall dramatically given the situation and industries should cut production...the only positives might be the sale/production of medicines, face masks, dettol disinfectants and hand sanitizers...paint/rerolling/cement/brick kilns/drinks type factories theoretically could close down as would construction activities...vegetable vendors are back on the streets and more people are selling the slightly less (50%) less effective local cloth masks...numerous companies have emerged making hand sanitisers...however gas producers are looking at urea manufacturers to gear up production with more gas available...LNG imports are being reduced
  
• April1,2020--Doctors who are generally regarded as pretty tough mentally suggest that they donot want respect but more safety equipment and ventilators...given the virus a lot of hard work is needed by doctors and medical staff...usually patient attendants and nurses handle most of the workload but that is difficult with corona cases...cases of infection have occurred amongst doctors
  
• April1, 2020--trend of azaan from rooftops increasing...such steps are reccomended when there are dire catastrophic conditions...people in karachi are putting white flags
  
• April1,2020--consumption of energy products has fallen dramatically in Pakistan...electricity usage is down 30%...petroleum products usage down 60-70% and gas usage down by almost 50%
  
• April1,2020--Worldwide deaths reach over 42341 with the highest cases in the US, Italy, Spain and Germany...overall cases jump to 859,796...23000 deaths in Italy, Spain and France while deaths surge pasts 4000 in the USA
  
• April1,2020--India finding it difficult to impose a lockdown as thousands of migrant workers stranded without transport...apparently they also sprayed disinfectant on the migrant workers...
  
• April1,2020--Cases in Pakistan jump to 2039 with 26 deaths...Sindh builds first drive thru testing facility...Tableeghis emerge as a major problem as a huge number are missing in Rawalpindi...Raiwind has shut down as corona cases emerge amongst tableeghis...Sindh asks punjab to arrange repatriation of 60 tableeghis from Sukkur saying they dont have money to send them back