Sacred resistance?

Emboldened by the federal government's decision to extend the lockdown but in a mitigated form by allowing select industries and trades to resume work the Ulema leadership has decided to resume congregational prayers. They ask what actually constitutes 'lockdown' if banks and essential services have been allowed to function having 'hardly any precautionary measures'. And religio-political leadership have expressed their support to the Ulema decision. Apparently, their move has preempted the expected outcome of a meeting of Ulema and governors to be convened on Saturday by President Arif Alvi. Will the government succeed in persuading the Ulema to modify their stand? And, if it does not succeed, then what options would be available to the government?, this question has no easy answer essentially because social distancing is the linchpin of total war on coronavirus. The Wikipedia defines social distancing as a "set of pharmaceutical interventions or measures taken to prevent the spread of a contagious disease by maintaining a physical distance between people and reducing the number of times people come in close contact with each other". It involves keeping a distance of minimum six feet from each other. In other words, lockdown is a state of isolation or restricted access instituted as a safety step aimed at preventing the transmission of this deadly virus. This was done in the past wherever societies were hounded by pandemics. From among the Muslim countries that imposed the stiffest lockdown on religious gatherings, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia tops the list. In Pakistan, however, the Ulema seem to have taken a different position; in their presser at Karachi Press Club on Tuesday they announced that there would be five-time prayers and Friday congregation in mosques. Of course, they promised a set of precautionary measures, but the way these played out in the recent past does not offer a very promising outlook. They have conveyed to the government against placing hurdles in reopening of mosques. Obviously, it is a huge challenge mainly because of the fact that from day one we as a polity extensively violated the basic anti-coronavirus prescription of social distancing everywhere.

While some of the countries where virus 'plateau' is in sight the lockdown restrictions are being relaxed; in Pakistan, however, that plateau is nowhere in sight - even though Dr Zafar Mirza, who is leading the fight against the lethal virus, is optimistic that as against the projection of 18,000 cases by Tuesday (April 14) only 6,000 cases were registered. That Dr Mirza is not realistic in view of recurring incidents of infected disappearing from quarantine centres and general public's disregard for measures lockdown is a fact. If US President Trump's misplaced optimism is any guide we have to be quite cynical and not overoptimistic. And howsoever strict be the measures promised by the religious leaders, the first and foremost source of virus spread will be social gatherings. So far the only country that seems to have won the war on coronavirus is China and that country expects Pakistan to impose a complete lockdown. It is therefore imperative that the government seeks help of the leaders of religio-political parties Maulana Fazlur Rahman of JUI(F), Sirajul Haq of JI and others to engage with the Ulema and successfully persuade them to call off their planned congregations for taraveeh, the five daily and Friday prayers.