Federal Minister for Planning, Development, Reforms and Special Initiatives Asad Umar on Thursday lashed out at the Pakistan Democratic Movement for holding a public rally in Karachi on August 29, saying the worst violations of Covid SOPs in the last year have come from politicians.

A day ago, the PDM, an opposition alliance, held the meeting after a hiatus of at least two months and announced holding the rally in the provincial capital of Sindh.

Taking to Twitter, the federal minister said that he proposed to postpone Azad Jammu and Kashmir elections for few months as he wanted to run a “special vaccination campaign” in the region before the polls. However, his idea was rejected.

He said: “Since the elections, the positivity [rate] of AJK is running between 25 to 30 per cent.”

Umar further said the elections have acted as a super spreader event.

The federal minister also criticised Pakistan Peoples Party Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, saying two weeks ago, he was “threatening” to hold Prime Minister Imran Khan and ministers accountable for further spread of the coronavirus in Karachi.

“Now the PDM announces holding a rally in Karachi,” he said, lamenting the fact that the worst violations of Covid standard operating procedures in the last one year have come from politicians.