The National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) has decided to conduct a probe to reveal facts regarding the video clip wherein family members of Federal Minister for Housing Tariq Bashir Cheema were seen allegedly getting vaccinated out of turn.
Model Iffat Omar could also be seen in the video.
Cheema belongs to the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) that is an ally of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
“We have learnt that a number of segments of society are involved in such practice. People are vaccinated and they are included in the list of healthcare workers. During a meeting of the NCOC it was decided to first inquire that whether the family members of the minister were vaccinated in Islamabad or Punjab,” federal Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar said while talking to a news channel.
On Tuesday, Cheema came under fire after video clips surfaced on social media showing him and some people of less than 60 years of age being vaccinated.
He maintained that a team of the University of Health Sciences (UHS) had visited them to administer vaccine during a clinical trial, however, he seemed rather baffled while speaking to a private media outlet on Tuesday night.
According to Umar, unfortunately it is the psyche of the people that they try to grab things by violating the law. “However on the other hand we have examples that President of Pakistan Dr Arif Alvi waited for his turn and got the jab when it was due,” he said.
Dawn quoted Umar as saying during the NCOC meeting that it was decided that the Punjab government, in case the people were vaccinated in Punjab, would take action and if they were vaccinated in Islamabad, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Dr Faisal Sultan and Secretary Health Aamer Ashraf Khuwaja would take action.
Meanwhile, an official of the Ministry of National Health Services (NHS) said that unfortunately a large number of people were being vaccinated without being in the queue.
They maintained that Cheema had dragged UHS in to diffuse the situation.