A First Information Report (FIR) has been filed against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Health Minister Taimur Saleem Jhagra under Sections 6 to 17 of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Epidemic Control and Emergency Relief Act 2020 for violating COVID-19 protocols, Dawn News has reported.

As per details, Minister Jhagra attended an iftar party at a local restaurant in Peshawar, where dine-in at restaurants has been banned by authorities amid a sharp surge in COVID cases in the province. In addition to that, no COVID-related SOPs were followed at the gathering.

The owner and manager have also been booked for hosting the aftar party on the premises.

RELATED STORIES

Peshawar Assistant Commissioner Ehteshamul Haq while talking to Dawn said that the administration took timely action after pictures of the iftar were shared on social media.

“There will not be any kind of compromise on coronavirus SOPs. If SOPs are violated, the law will come into action,” added the official.

Read more –The deadly COVID-19 third wave

The restaurant was also sealed after the pictures of the iftar party went viral on social media.

The development comes as Pakistan continues to struggle in its war against COVID-19. Over 5,000 new cases with at least 145 death were reported in the past 24 hours alone. The infections tally stands past 0.8 million.