Modi govt rejects proposal to import liquid medical oxygen from Pakistan

According to Local media, Chief Minister of Indian Punjab Amarinder Singh said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi government had refused the request for private firms in the state to commercially import liquid medical oxygen from Pakistan.

Pakistan had offered to export liquid oxygen to India as it battles deadly Covid-19 wave.

"As a gesture of solidarity with the people of India in the wake of the current wave of Covid-19, Pakistan has offered to provide relief support to India including ventilators, Bi PAP, digital X-ray machines, PPEs (personal protective equipment) and related items," a statement from the Foreign Office had said.

The statement further read that the authorities in Pakistani and India can work out modalities for quick delivery of the relief items. "They can also explore possible ways of further cooperation to mitigate the challenges posed by the pandemic."

India has not responded to the offer.

India’s current Covid wave has taken on frightening proportions, driven in part by a new variant of the virus which has double mutations. Earlier this week, India overtook Brazil as the country with the second-highest number of cases in the world, behind the USA. Experts are concerned that given the low testing rate, India possibly has higher number of cases than either US or Brazil.

The country is reporting more than 300,000 cases, and 2,000 deaths on daily basis. Real numbers could be much higher, with crematoriums and graveyards both running out of space across the country.