ISLAMABAD: The National Command and Operations Center (NCOC), which oversees Pakistan’s pandemic response, issued a list of protocols on Tuesday to prevent the spread of the coronavirus during the Muslim mourning month of Muharram, when Shi’ite Muslims hold large public processions.
The NCOC asked devotees to follow officially prescribed health precautions during their congregations and mourning sessions while wearing face masks and keeping a physical distance of six feet.
“Do not allow any individual to enter the premises without face mask,” an NCOC statement said, adding that masks should also be available at the entrance of all venues, and people given instructions regarding their proper use to ensure their nose and mouth are covered.
The eight-page NCOC document said Muharram gatherings should be held in spacious places with proper ventilation, with hand sanitizers and thermal guns readily available. It urged religious leaders to ensure that those who were conducting the gatherings had received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, saying the government would set up special vaccination camps to inoculate participants.
The list of new safety protocols also included that devotees use their own prayer mats and rosaries while attending public gatherings and called for a media campaign to create greater awareness among the masses about COVID-19 to ensure a “safe Ashura.”
The Muharram moon was sighted in Pakistan on Monday, heralding the new Islamic year, 1443 AH, from today. Youm-e-Ashura, which marks the martyrdom of the Prophet’s grandson, will be observed on August 19 this year.
Pakistan reported 4,856 new COVID-19 cases along with 81 deaths caused by the disease in the last 24 hours. The country’s overall positivity rate stands at 7.5 percent, and it conducted about 65,000 tests on August 10.
Pakistan issues special coronavirus instructions for Muharram gatherings to ensure ‘safe Ashura’
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Pakistan issues special coronavirus instructions for Muharram gatherings to ensure ‘safe Ashura’
- Government plans to set up special vaccination camps to inoculate participants at mourning processions
- Religious leaders to ensure those conducting congregations have received one coronavirus vaccine dose
Afghan interior minister welcomes Pakistani scholars’ ‘positive’ remarks about Kabul
- Pakistani religious scholars on Dec. 23 called for easing tensions between Islamabad and Kabul, resumption of trade
- Sirajuddin Haqqani says Afghanistan is committed to regional peace, Afghans have “no intentions to threaten anyone”
PESHAWAR: Afghanistan’s Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani recently thanked Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and religious scholars from the country for expressing positive statements for Kabul despite tensions between the two countries.
A meeting of religious scholars in Pakistan on Dec. 23, attended by Jamiat Ulama-e-Pakistan political party head Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman, called for easing tensions between the two states. The scholars also called for allowing resumption of trade and movement of people between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Pakistani news media outlets reported on Saturday that Dar, who is also Pakistan’s foreign minister, praised Haqqani’s earlier statement in which the Afghan minister stressed resolving tensions between Islamabad and Kabul through dialogue.
In a video statement on Sunday, Haqqani said Afghanistan is committed to peace and stability in the country and the region, adding that Afghans have “no intentions to threaten anyone.” He appreciated Rehman and religious scholar Mufti Taqi Usmani for speaking in a “positive” manner about Afghanistan in the Dec. 23 meeting.
“We are thankful and grateful for their approach and views,” Haqqani said.
“Similarly, we really appreciate the positive remarks by Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, who spoke in a positive way about Afghanistan.”
The Afghan minister’s statement comes in the backdrop of increased tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan amid a surge in militant attacks in the latter’s territory.
Pakistan blames Afghanistan’s government for facilitating attacks by the Pakistani Taliban or TTP group. Islamabad accuses Kabul of allowing TTP militants to take shelter in sanctuaries in Afghanistan from where they carry out attacks targeting Pakistan.
Kabul denies the charges and says it cannot be held responsible for security lapses and challenges in Pakistan.
The two countries engaged in fierce border clashes in October that led to the killings of dozens of soldiers and civilians on both sides. Pakistan and Afghanistan subsequently agreed to a temporary ceasefire and have held three rounds of peace talks that remained inconclusive.
Tensions persist as Pakistan has vowed to go after militants even in Afghanistan that threaten the lives of its citizens. Afghan officials have warned Pakistan of retaliation if it attacks Afghanistan.
