By Nasir Aijaz The AsiaN Representative ISLAMABAD: Amidst the ongoing Covid-19 vaccination drive across the country, Pakistan government resorted to re-imposing the ‘Smart Lockdown’ to control the surge in coronavirus cases, said to be ‘third wave of pandemic’. The country recorded a sharp increase in daily Covid-19 cases during last few days — 2,700 cases on daily basis, leading total infections to exceed the 607,000 mark — a day after the head of the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), Asad Umar, warned that the “third wave” had already begun. According to NCOC data, the death toll stood at 13,537. Speaking to the media, the planning minister said: “Yes, absolutely. There is no doubt that the third wave has begun. Basically, the phenomenon driving it is the spread of the UK strain.”