With Pakistan struggling on the vaccination front amid a deadlier third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, some real good news has emerged from Germany. Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, currently in Berlin on an official visit, has tweeted that Pakistan will receive 15 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine from the Covax programme – a global initiative by the World Health Organization meant to ensure rapid and equitable access to Covid-19 vaccines for all countries regardless of income level. According to Qureshi who made the announcement after his meeting with German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas the other day, the vaccine will be delivered by May.
The arrival of vaccine in this big number will give the much-need acceleration to the Covid vaccination process in Pakistan which is so far only relying on the vaccine gifted by China amounting to just one million doses. As a result, the relevant authorities in Pakistan have not even completely catered to the most at-risk population, including healthcare workers and the elderly population. It is sad to note that the number of doses administered in Pakistan per 100 people is the lowest in the region which is 0.36. In comparison, India has vaccinated 7.57 people per 100, Nepal 5. 49, Sri Lanka 4.32 and Bangladesh 3.53.
The third wave of the pandemic, meanwhile, rages on in Pakistan which is witnessing more than 5,000 daily new cases for over a week, and the number of daily deaths in the vicinity of 100. With the cases of the deadly infection rising thick and fast, the government must devise a proper roadmap to vaccinating the bulk of the population as early as possible so as to avoid risking a Britain-like travel ban on Pakistani citizens. There is an urgent need to allocate a reasonable amount of money for purchase of the vaccine, as we cannot just keep relying on Covax doles and Chinese gifts.
Ramazan and price hike
Rise in the prices of essentials is an annual ritual during the month of Ramazan. This year even before the start of the fasting month an identical trend of hike in prices of kitchen items, vegetables, meat and fruits is being witnessed. This is in spite of the government’s efforts to provide these necessary items to the common people at affordable prices. Already prices of essentials and those of items whose consumption increases in this month are moving upwards.
In Ramazan, provincial governments set up special bazaars where food items are available at prices lower than those in other markets. The Punjab government plans to establish Ramazan Bazaars in all districts of the province. The provincial government will give a subsidy of Rs8 billion for the purpose. The district administrations will set up and supervise the affairs of these markets. In Lahore city, 30 special bazaars will be set up. There are already 11 model bazaars in Lahore where essentials are available at lower rates. At these bazaars, sugar is being sold for Rs65 a kg. In the general market, the commodity is available for Rs100 a kg. Due to the wide margin in sugar price, there is likely to be a run on the special bazaars for this item. Shopkeepers in the uncontrolled markets have already increased the prices of essential items in disregard of the prices fixed by the government. Beef is being sold at Rs750 a kg against the official price of Rs550. There is a big difference in prices of vegetables and fruits. Apple is being sold at Rs100 a kg instead of the fixed price of Rs62, and Banana for Rs100 a dozen against the official price of Rs62.
Many essentials might go beyond the reach of the common people this Ramazan if profiteers are allowed to have their way considering that the country is already witnessing an unusual rise in prices. Even now people prefer to turn a deaf ear to prices.
Blank cheque?
R ussian President Vladimir Putin has offered Pakistan a “blank cheque” offer of support, according to an exclusive report in this newspaper. The report refers to interactions during Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s recent trip to Islamabad. Lavrov’s exact language was an offer of “any cooperation” that Pakistan needs. Lavrov also expressly noted areas such as gas pipelines, economic corridors, and defence. Bluntly speaking, Pakistan could use assistance in all of them.
Islamabad and Moscow are already working on getting the North-South gas pipeline project going. The $2 billion project was agreed upon in 2015, but American sanctions had thrown a spanner in the works. However, it appears that the project has been greenlit once again. The report, meanwhile, also says that Russia is also willing to invest some $8 billion in different areas and has shown interest in ‘reviving’ Pakistan Steel Mills and starting up some hydel projects. The Mills, incidentally, was set up by the Soviet Union in the 1970s. It would appear that Moscow does not want its most recognisable investment in Pakistan to go to waste.
Given the extensive offer of investment and the broad nature of other support, the ball is clearly in Pakistan’s court. Under normal circumstances, tapping this offer would have been a no-brainer. Unfortunately, given the problems in Russia’s relations with the West in general and the US in particular, this is not the case. The offer may well put Pakistan at a crossroads — go all-in on Russian aid and risk being ostracised by Western nations, including some allies, or walk a very fine line to avoid offending anyone. Rejecting, or even leveraging the offer of assistance, is off the cards.
However, the fine line becomes even finer when we look at the things that interest Pakistan the most — defence equipment. Russian weapons deals are always heavily scrutinised by the US and Europe. At the same time, even China might have some problems with this aspect of cooperation, given that Beijing is a rival to Russia in the field of defence production. But suppose Pakistan can find a way to keep China happy, avoid offending the West, and still make good use of Russia’s offer. In that case, the potential positive impact of assistance could be tremendous.
