KP Minister booked for flouting virus SOPs

Bureau Report

PESHAWAR: The district administration on Tuesday booked the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Health Minister Taimur Khan Jhagra for flouting coronavirus health guidelines by attending an iftar dinner at a restaurant in Peshawar where hundreds of guests were present.
The administration took action following the news coverage of the event and pictures posted on social media platforms showing Jhagra attending the dinner despite a ban on social gatherings due to the pandemic.
The authorities, in a press handout, said that a police case had been registered against the minister and manager of the restaurant for organising the event and violating standard operating procedures (SOPs).
The manager of the restaurant, quoted in the statement, said the dinner went on despite his warning to the minister about the ban on indoor dining service.
“No one is above the law,” Peshawar Deputy Commissioner Capt. (r) Khalid Mahmood said in a statement. “The district administration is taking indiscriminate actions on the violation of government’s rules.”