Islamabad: All the provincial governments in Pakistan and local administrations in Pakistan-administered Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) imposed a ban on religious gatherings of more than five people during Friday prayers to counter the spread of coronavirus in the country.
According to a notification issued by the Awqaf Department of the Islamabad Capital Territory and the provincial governments, only three to five people including the prayer leader, mosque committee president, member, muezzin (one who calls for prayer) and attendant were allowed to offer congregational prayers on Friday.
The Sindh government, however, went a step forward in imposing a complete lockdown from 12pm to 3pm in a bid to limit people from gathering in mosques. Whereasm, majority of the people, while abiding by the directions of the government, stayed at their homes there were also a few incidents of public clashes with police.
In Liaquatabad Town of Karachi, people turned violent when they were stopped from offering prayers in the basement of a mosque.
They clashed with police and raised slogans and pelted stones at them. Police arrested four people including Imam (prayer leader) of the local mosque for violating the lockdown and inciting violence.
Besides Karachi, reports of violent clashes were also received from other parts of the province including Larkana, Nawab Shah, Sukkur and Ghotki.
However. police supported by law-enforcing agencies and Rangers dispersed the agitators and maintained law and order.
In Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Pakistan-administered Kashmir, G-B and Balochistan, too, Friday prayers were restricted to three to five people and the country observed another calm Friday without usual religious fervour and gatherings.
Before clamping the lockdown and restricting Jumma prayers, the federal government through religious leaders and scholars had got issued Fatwa (edict) in support of restrictions on Friday prayers.
The chairman of the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII), Dr Qibla Ayaz, a day earlier urged the people to offer prayers at home as an effective preventive measure to avoid spread of coronavirus. Addressing a press conference at the state press department, Dr Qibla said, “We need to adopt preventive measures. However, there is no need to create an atmosphere of fear from the virus.”
The CII chairman said the mosques should play a role of community centre and instead of arresting prayer leaders, the authorities should seek their support in implementing the preventive measures.
He also called for non-Muslims to be taken care of during the pandemic and called for economic relief package for people irrespective of religious and ethnic divisions.
He urged the government, civil society and masses to work jointly to defeat the coronavirus.
