Islamabad: The government of Sindh has restricted Taraweeh prayers to 3-5 people during Ramadan beginning in Pakistan on Saturday.
The federal government, following an agreement between President Arif Alvi and the religious scholars of the country, last Saturday decided that mosques could organise Taraweeh and other congregational prayers but by strictly following the coronavirus guidelines.
Though the federal government had claimed the decision was taken in consultation with all the provinces, yet, the Chief Minister of Sindh, Murad Ali Shah, in a late night video message on Thursday announced that the provincial government was not going to allow the congregational and Taraweeh prayers during the month and only three to five people could offer prayers in the mosques. The decision, he said, was taken after consultation with doctors and health experts who had cautioned allowing congregational prayers could be disastrous and lead to spread of the new coronavirus.
As for Friday prayers, Murad Ali said like the previous three Fridays, this time a strict lockdown would be observed from 12 noon to 3pm and only three to five persons in a mosque would be allowed to offer prayers.
“We have conveyed our decision to the President and he has also endorsed it saying the Sindh government should do whatever is in the best interest of the people of the province,” said Murad Ali.
In support of the provincial government’s decision to ban Taraweeh prayer he quoted one of the points of the agreement reached between the ulema and Arif Alvi reached last Saturday, “At any time if it is felt by any government, whether federal or provincial, that the SOPs are not being followed or the situation of coronavirus is getting bad or will get bad, it may change its policy, and by this agreement the onus to take such decisions, which the ulema will support, lies with the government/s.”
Following his video message, the Sindh government on Friday issued standard operating procedure (SOPs) for the lockdown during Ramadan.
According to these SOPs, during the month, businesses will be allowed to open from Monday-Thursday from 9am-3pm and grocery shops will remain open from 8am-5pm. The government also allowed ready-made food delivery will be allowed from 5-10pm. However, it said that food delivery will not be allowed at Sehri time and lockdown will be imposed after 5pm. A day earlier, senior pulmonologists of Karachi and well known physicians had expressed reservations over the government’s decision to allow congregational prayers including Taraweeh and Friday saying it would have dangerous repercussions and the situation might go out of control.
