President Arif Alvi will be holding talks today (Saturday) with religious leaders across the country to discuss matters pertaining to gatherings during Ramazan amidst the coronavirus.
According to Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Noor-ul-Haq Qadri, the president will hold a video conference with the ulema. Suggestions from provincial ministers have also been taken and a decision regarding prayer congregations is expected to be announced after the president’s approval.
A decision regarding the matter will only be taken after a consensus is reached between the ulema and the government, Qadri said. He also appealed to the ulema to take the coronavirus situation seriously.
In separate phone calls, the president spoke to Jamaat-e-Islami chief Senator Sirajul Haq, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Markazi Jamiat Ahle Hadith chief Senator Sajid Mir and PML-N leader Rana Tanveer Hussain regarding safety precautions to be taken to contain the pandemic during the holy month.
Religious leaders of Rawalpindi and Islamabad will attend the meeting from President House, while those in other parts of the country will attend it through a video link from their respective governor houses.
The move was taken by the authorities to discourage religious leaders from holding congregations after several cities saw significant gatherings for Friday prayers.
Clerics such as Mufti Muneebur Rehman and Mufti Taqi Usmani had previously announced that they will not observe the ban on public gatherings.
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