MEHR YASIN
LAHORE: All eyes are set on August 7, 2020 as a Civil Court in Pakistan’s Lahore city will decide either to hold the United States of America responsible for unchecked spread of Covid-19 or not.
Last week, Civil court in Lahore issued notices to the US embassy in Islamabad, the US counsel general Lahore and Pakistan’s foreign ministry on a USD 20 billion damages suit filed by Raza Ali, a coronavirus infected citizen of Pakistan based in Lahore.
In a petition he filed in the civil Court last Wednesday through Advocate Syed Zille Hussain, Ali Raza alleged the US was responsible for the losses suffered by him and Pakistan due to coronavirus as it was behind unchecked spread of the pandemic.
Considering the petition worth debatable, Civil Judge Kamran Karamat issued notices to the US embassy Islamabad, US consul general in Lahore, US secretary of defence through consul general (Lahore) and the ministry of foreign affairs for August 7.
Raza told the court that his family members are also suffering and their health is so compromised that they may not be able to live a healthy life ever.
“Unchecked spread of COVID-19 in the US caused its spread over the world including Pakistan. The defendants are responsible for the colossal death toll, misery, and economic disasters they inflicted on the world, including but not limited to the entire Pakistan,” he said.
He alleged in the petition that US administration is creating hurdles for the global fights against COVID-19 and urged the court to pass a decree that the COVID-19 was caused by the US and it played havoc with the lives of Pakistanis and recover USD 20 billion in his favour.
The court fixed August 7 for hearing of the case and issued notices to the respondents for the reply.
Reportedly, renowned American scholar Noam Chomsky said in an interview that President Donald Trump is culpable in the deaths of Americans in the pandemic, adding that “the same is true internationally”. “To try and cover up his criminal attacks against the American people, which have been going on all of this time, he’s flailing about to try and find scapegoats,” said the 91-year old linguist and social critic.
Chomsky’s disparaging remarks about the Trump administration’s pandemic performance were dead on target. After ignoring early warnings from China, the World Health Organization and U.S. medical experts, Washington chose to deflect criticism onto others once the virus was out of control. Moreover, an article in The Atlantic compared the United States’ response to “a country with shoddy infrastructure and a dysfunctional government.”
With over 1.4 million infections, the United States now accounts for nearly a third of the world’s total. Its top medical expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, said on Tuesday that the real number of COVID-19 deaths is “almost certainly” higher than the official figure due to the likelihood some went unrecorded. Its failure to domestically contain the virus from spreading has also resulted in the U.S. becoming the biggest exporter of the pathogen.
Canada’s National Post quoted data from its largest provinces in April as reporting that it was American travelers, not Chinese, who carried the virus to the country. Research by Japan’s National Institute of Infectious Diseases suggests that the peak of its COVID-19 outbreak started in March after being brought in from Europe and the United States. Prime Minister Scott Morrison noted in March that most infections in Australia were traced to a travel history or contact related to America.
Earlier in May this year, Global Times stated in one of its articles that the Trump administration owes the world an explanation regarding its response to the COVID-19 pandemic and should be held responsible for many of its missteps. This includes its slow response, inefficient testing, not being able to offer a clear timeline on COVID-19, spreading rumors about the virus’ origin and muzzling scientists that have led to surging cases which now account for a third of known cases worldwide in the worst global crisis since World War II, analysts said.
“With more suspected cases discovered, suggesting that the virus might have existed in the US as early as November or December 2019, the US government is obligated to offer clear responses to some crucial questions over the outbreak, as it’s not only relevant to Americans, but also to the global fight against the deadly disease, some analysts say, noting that the time has arrived to launch a thorough investigation led by the World Health Organization (WHO) into such matters,” Global Times reported on May 6, 2020.