Pakistan is using a contact tracing system – developed by its intelligence services to combat terrorism – to fight the coronavirus, the country’s prime minister has said, as COVID-19 cases continue to spike in the South Asian country.
Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) service is supporting the government in tracing and tracking people who may have been in contact in with those who test positive for the virus.
“The ISI has given us a great system for track and trace,” said Pakistani PM Imran Khan on a live telecast of a telethon on Thursday. “It was originally used against terrorism, but now it is has come in useful against coronavirus.”
International rights groups such as Amnesty International have repeatedly accused the ISI of using its surveillance programmes to abduct rights activists alongside legitimate security targets.
Having an effective “track and trace” system would enable the country to continue to reopen businesses, Khan said.
“Track and trace is the best way [to combat the virus] and … this is the only way if you want to restart your businesses.”
Cases of the coronavirus in Pakistan have spiked this week, hitting at least 11,115 cases, with 237 fatalities and more than 2,527 patients having recovered, government data shows.
Post Your Comments