What's new?Hoping to mitigate COVID-19's economic toll， Imran Khan'sPa ki-stan Teh reek-e-In saf government lifted a countrywide lockdown in May， l leading to a spike in cases.August could see another surge since the public， misled by the clergy and mixed messaging from the government itself， may disregard precautions during religious festivities and ceremonies.

Why does it matter?Climbing infection rates could overwhelm il-equipped health systems and hinder economic recovery.If citizens are denied healthcare or adequate aid as the economy contracts， public anger is likely to mount， potentially threatening social order.Militants could take advantage， as they have in the past.

What should be done?The federal government should guide provinces on pan-demic policy and help reinforce their health systems but also permit them to devise their own local strategies guided by medical experts.It should work with the parlia-mentary opposition on its response， particularly on providing a safetynet to vulner-able parts of society.