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\nISLAMABAD: Two Radio\nPakistan staffers died from Covid-19 on Thursday. The deceased include a senior\nbroadcast engineer and an Urdu newscaster. They were both associated with Radio\nPakistan for 20 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to an\nofficial statement issued by the Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation (PBC),\nSenior Broadcast Engineer Mohammad Ashfaq, 48, was a regular Radio Pakistan\nemployee who was known for his competence and dedication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Huma Zafar, 52, was\nan Urdu newscaster who had been reading national bulletins for the last 20\nyears. She had recently completed a PhD in Psychology from abroad. For her\nperformance and qualification, she was awarded the \u2018outstanding\u2019 category in\n2017.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
ARTICLE CONTINUES AFTER AD<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Minister for\nInformation and Broadcasting Shibli Faraz, Information Secretary Akber Hussain\nDurrani, Radio Pakistan Director General Ambreen Jan and all the directors and\nstaff members of the national broadcaster have expressed their condolences\nregarding the deaths of both staffers and sympathised with their families.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The PBC director\ngeneral also held a meeting at PBC Headquarters, where the concerned officers\nwere directed to ensure strict compliance with standard operating procedures to\ncontain the spread of the coronavirus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She said all the\npreventive and precautionary measures are being taken to protect PBC staff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Radio Pakistan\nDeputy Controller News Sajjad Parvez told Dawn that Ashfaq was from Bahawalpur\nbut had been working in Islamabad for several years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He said Ashfaq\ntested positive for Covid-19 10 days ago and had isolated himself. He already\nsuffered from a chronic lung condition, because of which his immune system was\nweak and the infection developed, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHis kidneys were\nalso weak, because of which he underwent dialysis, but he could not survive,\u201d\nhe said, adding: \u201cHe had also served in Faisalabad and Bahawalpur.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mr Parvez said Zafar\nwas associated with the PBC as a contractual employee and was also a professor\nat the Viqarunnisa Postgraduate College in Rawalpindi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHuma\u2019s sister was\ninfected with Covid-19 in Lahore, due to which she went to Lahore with her\nmother. Later, she and her mother also contracted the virus, due to which her\nmother died Wednesday night and she died on Thursday,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
PBC media\ncoordinator Chaudhry Zameer Ashraf also confirmed that both staffers died from\nCovid-19.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He said the PBC has\ndecided to ensure the safety of employees and all possible measures are being\ntaken to protect them from the coronavirus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A PBC employee who\nasked not to be named said that officially, nine engineers were tested for\nCovid-19 of which four were positive and the reports of another two employees\nare still pending.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Newspaper: Dawn<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n