Conditional permission for congregation prayer and taraweeh

President Arif Alawi, President of Pakistan, announced twenty-one precautionary instructions after consultation with the Ulema. Under these unanimous suggestions, mosques are allowed to open in the country.

SOURCE; DW

Similarly, children, the weak and the sick are advised to worship at home. People have been asked to perform wudu, sahri, iftar and other prayers at home. Wear a mask if you go to a mosque for prayer.

It is not clear from the government statement whether these are mere suggestions or official guidelines that will be followed.

Over the past few weeks in Pakistan, several mosques have repeatedly held a Friday prayer, violating the common lockdown. The most obvious example of this is the Lal Masjid in Islamabad, where prayers were held on Friday evenings, but the police and administration appeared helpless in the federal capital.

It should be noted that Saudi Arabia and several other Muslim countries have announced a ban on Taraweeh in mosques during Ramadan due to the global outbreak of Corona. But in Pakistan, religious circles on Tuesday threatened the government that they were going to open mosques during Ramadan.

Prior to the announcement of the mosques on Saturday, President Alawi held a video conference with governors, chief secretaries, and scholars of different provinces.

Explaining the government's decision on TV, President Arif Alawi said that it was the responsibility of every citizen, not just the imam and the government, to follow the 20-point precautionary measure.

The decision said that if these unanimous suggestions were not followed, then the government could revise its decision. The government has also said that different policies may be adopted depending on the specific circumstances of some areas.

As of Saturday evening in Pakistan, the number of cases of COVID 19 has exceeded 7,646 while the death toll has increased to one hundred and forty-four. Health experts are concerned that the softening of the lockdown by the federal government and the gatherings during Ramadan may worsen the situation.