'Covid-19 has revealed PM's ineptitude': Opposition criticises govt's handling of crisis.

The opposition on Monday, during a National Assembly session convened after a gap of nearly two months, criticised the federal government for its handling of the country's coronavirus crisis, calling its Covid-19 strategy "confused".

Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri presided over the session as Speaker Asad Qaiser has quarantined himself after he tested positive for coronavirus on April 30. Leader of the Opposition Shehbaz Sharif was not in attendance as his doctors advised him not to attend due to his medical history.

Prime Minister Imran Khan also skipped the session.

Addressing the session, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari lashed out at PM Imran for "his failure to lead the country" during this global health crisis, reminding him that he was the premier of the entire country and "not just of PTI".

"He should have outlined the steps the government needed to take to fight the outbreak."

According to Bilawal, he had given a message at a press conference to the Centre that "we will fight this pandemic keeping aside political differences".

Instead, he alleged, the lawmakers and the people of Sindh were targeted and abused by members of the government.

The PPP chairman also criticised the federal government's inability to provide provinces with the help required to combat the virus.

"The federal government should've stood with us shoulder to shoulder. We're in the midst of a war, and the premier expects us to fight the war on our own?"

He added that the virus had exposed the "true faces" of world leaders. "It has revealed the true nature of US President Donald Trump, UK PM Boris Johnson and unfortunately, it has also revealed the truth about our prime minister's ineptitude."

Bilawal also claimed that funds allocated for the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) were being reallocated to the Ehsaas programme.

He said the virus has broken the backs of the Pakistani people and although he appreciated the Ehsaas programme, "I must point out that whatever money you had for BISP is now being distributed as Ehsaas. Where's your own contribution?"

"Now you are easing the lockdown. But where was the relief for the working class and middle-class families when it was still being enforced?" Bilawal said.

The PPP chairman also lambasted the Centre's handling of the outbreak at the Pakistan-Iran border at Taftan.

"We know that Taftan is underdeveloped, so why didn't the government help them? We set up quarantine facilities in Sindh for the Zaireen. When they reached Sukkur, we discovered that they hadn't even been tested, nor did they have face masks."

Federal borders are the responsibility of the federal government, he said. "You couldn't test them and you couldn't quarantine them. I'm not saying...

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