Prime Minister Imran Khan urged the international community on Wednesday to formulate a combined strategy to protect the most vulnerable segments of the society, especially labourers from the impacts of COVID-19. Addressing the online ILO Global Summit on COVID-19 and the World of Work, the premier pointed out that many countries including Pakistan depend upon remittances sent by overseas workers.

“Though the host countries are also faced with many problems owing to the coronavirus, we need to convince them to be more sympathetic to these labourers,” he added.

Imran emphasised that the lockdown has hit these labourers the most.

“The future is very uncertain, as we do not know how long the economy will take to recover from the impacts of the pandemic,” he stated, adding that till vaccines are found the world community will need to share their experiences and exchange ideas to protect the vulnerable groups.

Sharing the initial lockdown experience of Pakistan, the premier said it rendered daily-wage earners and labourers unemployed.

“Hence, we came up with the smart lockdown idea under which public gatherings were stopped, but we allowed other activities like reopening of construction and agriculture sectors,” he added.

Imran also shed light on the Ehsaas Programme under which the government is providing cash assistance to labourers after completing their registration process.

“It is the first time in Pakistan's history that such huge money was disbursed in such a short space of time,” he said stressing that this saved the country from the worst effects of the lockdown.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2253925/pm-imran-urges-world-community-to-protect-the-vulnerable-from-impacts-of-COVID-19