Pakistan prays for India amid testing COVID times

With the COVID-19 situation in India continuing to wreak havoc the neighbouring country, the people of Pakistan -- politicians, journalists, and citizens -- are all prayers, sending wishes and expressing genuine concerns for all Indians.

The second wave of COVID-19 outbreak is challenging the country's health infrastructure with devastation, struggle and suffering, bringing it under severe stress.

In these testing times, while the whole world is pouring in with prayers and best wishes for the people of India; through the weekend, #PakistanstandswithIndia and #Indianeedoxygen remained as top trends on the social media platform Twitter as alarming numbers of positive cases of the novel coronavirus battered Indians.

Nuzhat Uthmani @NUthmani tweeted: It is heart warming after 70+ years of tensions to see the top trend in #Pakistanis #PakistanStandsWithIndia. Indeed humanity is our most important faith and what being good neighbours should be about. Praying for all our family in #Indiaand #Pakistan #IndiaNeedsOxygen.

Asim Azhar @AsimAzharr: We, as a nation, pray for our neighbours India to recover from this difficult time. All our love & prayers. #PakistanStandsWithIndia.

Soha @SohaHussain8: My heart is bleeding that our neighbouring country India is struggling with exponentially rising COVID-19 cases. During this month let's pray for those countries which are fighting Against Covid-19. Pray for India #indianeedoxygen #PakistanstandswithIndia.

Social media has been flooded with vexing stories of Indians, suffering to the shortage of oxygen and medical facilitations.

As per statistics, India has reported over 2,800 deaths and at least 3,52,000 new cases in the past 24 hours, while the total death toll in the country since the pandemic has swelled over 1,90,000 with positive cases of COVID-19 crossing over 16.5 million, making it the second country to hit such high numbers after the United States.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has expressed solidarity with the people of India, offering every kind of support in the difficult times.

On April 24, Imran Khan @ImranKhanPTI tweeted: I want to express our solidarity with the people of India as they battle a dangerous wave of COVID-19. Our prayers for a speedy recovery go to all those suffering from the pandemic in our neighbourhood & the world. We must fight this global challenge confronting humanity together.

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has also expressed support to the people of India, stating that humanitarian issues require responses beyond political considerations.

Shah Mahmood Qureshi @SMQureshiPTI: We express our support to the people of India in the wake of the current wave of ?#COVID19 infections, that has hit our region hard. On behalf of the people of Pakistan, I extend our heartfelt sympathies to the affected families in #India.

Qureshi also said: "#COVID19 is yet another reminder that humanitarian issues require responses beyond political consideration. Pakistan continues to work with SAARC countries to foster cooperation to tackle the pandemic."

Pakistan's mainstream media has given extensive coverage to the situation in India, while special prayers are being offered in mosques and Ramadan transmissions, with citizens praying for all of India to overcome the current crisis and difficult times.

Senior journalist Nasim Zehra expressed her pain to see the sufferings of citizens in India.

"We in Pakistan watch your acute suffering with great pain. Our duas that by some miracle Allah swt ends your pain – that your government an InShaaAllah soon/successfully tackle the acute shortage of oxygen etc. Whatever are differences, we bond in humanity. Our prayers for you continue. In solidarity #Praying4Indians".

Faisal Edhi, son of the renowned philanthropist Abdul Sattar Edhi and chairman of the Edhi Foundation has also written to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, offering help in confronting the epidemic.

"We are very sorry to hear about the exceptionally heavy impact that the pandemic has had on your country, where a tremendous number of people are suffering immensely," the letter read.

"Edhi Foundation sympathized with India during this difficult time and offered help in the form of a fleet of 50 ambulances along with our services to assist you in addressing and further circumventing the current health conditions. We wish to lend you our full support, without any inconvenience to you, which is why we will arrange all necessary supplies that our team needs to assist the people of India," the letter added.