ISLAMABAD, March 25 (Xinhua) -- The total number of the confirmed COVID-19 cases in Pakistan reached 1,000 on Wednesday while eight infected patients have died so far, according to the official data released by the Pakistani government.
Pakistan's south Sindh province is the worst-hit area by the novel coronavirus in the country and 413 cases are confirmed in the province, followed by 296 in eastern Punjab province, according to the data.
Meanwhile, a total of 21 patients have been cured while five are registered critical.
In southwest Balochistan province, 115 cases are confirmed and there are 78 positive cases in northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. A total of 16 cases are confirmed in capital Islamabad, while 81 have been reported in northern areas of Gilgit-Baltistan.
Speaker of the National Assembly or the lower house of the Pakistan's parliament Asad Qaiser on Wednesday presided over a video conference of leaders of different political parties in the parliament to seek consensus on efforts to counter the threat of the coronavirus.
Prime Minister Imran Khan, who spoke at the conference via video call, said no government can fight this war alone.
"Nations can only fight this war together. There are no hard and fast solutions. I urge all leaders to give their input, and it is a constantly evolving situation. I want us all to fight this together," he told political leaders.
"This coronavirus war will only be won when all provinces unite, when political parties unite, when institutions unite," Khan said.
Shahbaz Sharif, leader of the opposition in the National Assembly, who joined other opposition leaders in the conference, assured cooperation with the government to deal with the situation.
