PM's aide Zulfikar Bukhari brings Easter cheer to Christian community in Islamabad

ISLAMABAD: Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Human Resource Development Sayed Zulfikar Abbas Bukhari on Sunday brought Easter cheer to the many Christians living under a coronavirus lockdown in the federal capital.

In a visit to the Christian colonies of sectors H-9 and G-7, the minister extended Easter greetings and distributed more than 1,000 food parcels and medical supplies to the poor and needy residents there.

Speaking on the occasion, Bukhari said that he had decided to launch an essential supply distribution campaign so that people feeling the financial crunch from the partial lockdown in the city are able to find some relief.

He said representatives of the Christian community have been asked to provide data of people living in the slum areas "so an uninterrupted supply of food can be ensured for them".

The PM's special aide on overseas Pakistanis urged philanthropists to join hands with the government "so that the most vulnerable could be protected in this hour of distress".

He said that a website is being launched to facilitate overseas Pakistanis so they can donate to the prime minister's coronavirus relief fund.

Urging national unity to defeat the pandemic, Bukhari said that "all religious groups should join hands to fight the coronavirus in Pakistan".

The aide also hinted at a sanitation drive to disinfect all of the city's slum areas including the homes, churches and streets within, so that the people's lives can be protected.

He assured the people that the government was working hard to stem the spread of COVID-19 and efforts were being made to provide financial support to the families affected by the lockdown.

The residents thanked the government for taking care of the poor in these trying times. A woman at the G-7 slum area said she had spent all her savings in the last two weeks as no work was available for her. She said that under such circumstances, help from the government and charitable spirits is highly appreciated.