The other day, Prime Minister Imran Khan announced the formation of a Corona Tiger Force to help with the ongoing lockdown. The pandemic is slowly infecting different areas of the country, and to this, a force full of youth has been formed.
As of today, more than 300,000 Pakistanis have registered themselves as young Corona Force tigers. The internet remains divided ever since the news came out through the PM’s address.
However, as of recent, pictures of mass production of the Corona Tiger Force shirts have been going viral on the internet. Initially, rumors maintained that the shirts were printed by the PTI government. This, in turn, raged the public.
People were of the opinion that the PTI should have been focusing on medical equipment and PPE (personal protection equipment) for doctors. However, the motive believed that a huge sum of money was spent on producing these shirts.
Since then, govt officials have allegedly claimed that the shirts were produced by a private entity and not the government. With over 3 lac registered tigers, the shirt production might need to increase.
Dr. Arslan Khalid confirms no govt involvement
Even though the govt has sought clarity on the production of shirts, a large portion of the public still believes it should have been avoided. If the shirts are producing in large numbers, it had to be done with the PTI’s approval, even if privately. On that note, the senior leadership of the federal government could have advised saving the budget for aid or medical equipment.
This pic circulating on social media is of some pvt person printing these shirts .Govt hasn't printed any such shirt and there is no such plan in future either.Abt 350k volunteers have registered in Tiger Force till now.We as a nation need to come together to fight this pandemic. pic.twitter.com/0Vi0kfF9qj
— Dr Arslan Khalid (@arslankhalid_m) April 2, 2020
Another controversy around the shirts is that the Corona Tiger Force shirts are embedded in PTI colors. This has been irking the general public too. If the Corona Tiger Force regards all of Pakistan, no political influence should be put on it. On the contrary, the name ‘Tiger’ force has already made the whole ordeal political.
Will the Corona Tiger Force be a success?
The PTI Corona Tiger Force to take over the streets soon. Only time will tell if the force used the same uniform. The plan may sound good right now, however, only boots on the grass approach will do justice to it.
While the world and Pakistan suffer a horrible pandemic, it is time Pakistan stops political point-scoring. Whether it is to take credit for foreign donations or quarrel among each other over not being facilitating enough.
In tough times like these, the nation deserves to be united on all fronts. The only thing that will counter this pandemic is adherence and unity.
