ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Sunday heightened security measures across major metros and provinces of the country and suspended mobile phone services until evening as Pakistani Shia Muslims took to the streets for the annual Muharram processions despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
In a statement on Sunday, Prime Minister Imran Khan appealed to the public to follow all anti-virus measures during the Muharram rituals and “to observe Ashura peacefully with religious fervor by shunning the sectarian biases.”
According to the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC), the apex body which oversees COVID-19 efforts in Pakistan, 264 new infections were recorded in the past 24 hours, adding to the nationwide total of 295,636 cases, while 6,288 people had died from the disease, as of Sunday.
Shia Muslims take out processions on the tenth day of Muharram, on the death anniversary of the grandson of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in Karbala, Iraq.
