By Shahid Shah 

ISLAMABAD:  Once again there is yet another surge in Covid-19 cases in different cities of Pakistan. The death toll is also increasing and the cases are on the rise in the country. At this moment, it’s imperative to once more take stock of things which helped Pakistan navigate through tough times during peaks of Covid-19 surge periods. National Command & Operation Center (NCOC), a civil-military coordination body that turned around things for Pakistan to effectively deal with Covid. The organization massively contributed towards containing the spread of this infectious disease that had created a chaos around the globe. The performance of NCOC was exceptionally well that was recognised around the world at different world forums. Many countries in the world adopted NCOC’s model for a robust control over the pandemic. Since the virus spread escalated swiftly in March 2020, NCOC was established the same month to leverage the combined resources of the civil and military apparatus and Pakistan Army fought on frontline in COVID Pandemic under the leadership of Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa, Chief of Army Staff Pakistan Army.

Covid-19 exposed the terrible state of the health sector prevalent in Pakistan but NCOC managed to prop up systems on a war-footing to cope with the emergency. The local army corps joined with provincial administrations to implement the Covid-19 policies as well as to enforce lockdowns, etc.

Under the directions of COAS, Covid testing labs were established at major military hospitals across the country, with a central facility set up in Rawalpindi. Pakistan Army stepped in for the support of Police and LEAs in the implementation of the COVID SOPs laid down by the NCOC and Ministry of Interior. Thousands of army troops were deployed across the country to check on medical facilities and other arrangements and compensated for the manpower shortages among the civil administration wherever needed.

Army’s supportive role in national response against Covid-19 pandemic through NCOC helped the nation fight the virus effectively that also helped in significantly reducing the death across the country. As the pandemic surge is yet again around the corner, it is important that the proactive and prompt measures be taken to handle the spread of Covid-19 by ensuring close coordination between the Armed Forces and the relevant departments of federal & provincial governments by activating NCOC if the positivity ratio continues to rise in the country.