Covid-19 outbreak: NA speaker urges religious scholars to create awareness among followers

National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser has stressed upon the religious scholars and ulema to play their role in creating harmony and awareness among their followers for countering the challenges posed by the deadly coronavirus pandemic.

The speaker said that unity among all the religious sects was imperative in the current situation.

He reiterated his stance that spread of coronavirus pandemic should not be attributed to particular religious sect or group of people.

Qaiser said this in a tele-video meeting held in Parliament House with shia ulema and scholars in Parliament House on Wednesday to discuss the repatriation of Zaireen (pilgrims).

Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Pir Noorul Haq Qadri, Minister of State for Safron Sheryar Afridi and religious scholar Khanum Tayyiba Bokhari attended the meeting.

Religious scholar Allama Shenshah Naqvi joined the meeting through tele-video link. The representatives of ministries of health, interior, foreign affairs and the Aviation Division were present during the meeting.

The speaker said that the world was facing immense challenges due to spread of coronavirus and Pakistan was not an exception.

He said that the virus had badly affected the health and livelihoods of people of Pakistan besides inflicting losses to the economy.

He said, "We have to face that challenge courageously and collectively and the support of ulema and religious scholars was imperative in this regard."

He said that ulema and scholars should advise the masses to adopt precautionary measures so that they were safe from that virus.

He said that social distancing, staying at home, avoiding public gatherings and adoption of other measures advised by the Ministry of Health should be followed to keep them safe.

The speaker said that 15 Shabaan had religious significance for all sects of Islam, but due to the present threat, people should stay at home, pray to Allah Almighty for the well being of humanity and their fellow citizens, and progress and prosperity of the country.

Speaker Qaiser said that the government was cognizant of the problems being faced by pilgrims stranded in Iran, Iraq and Syria, and measures were being adopted to bring them back home safely.

He assured that the Parliament was alive and mindful of its responsibilities towards the people, therefore, a committee had been constituted under Sheryar Afridi, Minister of State for Safron to get in touch with representatives of Tableeghi Jamaat and Alhe Tasheeh to listen to their issues, access the number of stranded people in various countries and make arrangements to bring them back home safely.

He asked the Alhe Tasheeh ulema to give details of pilgrims stranded abroad to the committee for making appropriate arrangement for bringing them back and subsequent health related issues.

He asked them to apprise the committee about any other issues regarding pilgrims who had been quarantined within the country.

Allama Shenshah Naqvi thanked the speaker for his initiative and informed that government functionaries had been very cooperative during this coronavirus problem.

He said that arrangements had been made for pilgrims arriving through Taftan border.

He suggested that arrangements may be made to transport pilgrims tested negative to their native towns.

He agreed that the decision of the government to adopt precautionary measures and social distancing was in the best interest of the people.

He said that Shia scholars had unanimously decided and advised their followers to offer prayers at home instead of mosques, avoid religious congregations till the prevalence of corona pandemic.

He said that unity at this juncture was necessary to fight the pandemic.

Khanum Tayibba Bokhari agreed with Allama Naqvi, adding that unity among all religious sects was need of the hour.

She said that ulema should advise their followers through media to practice social gatherings and stay at home as Quranic scriptures and Hadiths had relaxed religious congregations in pandemics and catastrophes.

Noorul Haq, Minister for Religious Affairs appreciated the initiative of the speaker and said that creating harmony among all religious sects was essential to combat this pandemic.

He suggested that offices of provincial speakers may be mobilized to gather support of religious scholars to tackle the challenge.

He thanked the scholars for their earlier support regarding fatwa on offering prayers at home instead of at mosques during the current crisis.

Minister for State for Safron assured that the Government of Pakistan would make all necessary arrangements for safe transportation of all stranded Pakistanis back to Pakistan once data was available.

He also suggested that Ministry of Foreign Affairs should work out details of jailed Pakistanis through its missions abroad and make arrangements for their repatriation.

He assured the speaker that his committee was working hard with solution-oriented approach and will present its recommendation on task assigned to it shortly.