Uniform policy for mosques, Ramazan will be implemented: minister

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Religious Affairs, Noorul Haq Qadri on Monday said there would be uniform policy with regard to mosques and Ramazan across the country. “It will not happen that the federal government and provinces are following different policies regarding mosques and Ramazan-ul-Mubarak,” the minister said while addressing a press conference along with the Speaker Asad Qaisar and Minister of State for Safron Shehryar Afridi after attending a meeting of the Special Parliamentary Committee on affectees of COVID-19.

He said the issue was discussed at the parliamentary committee while the President Arif Alvi, Speaker Asad Qaisar and the government were in contact with religious leaders in this connection. Qadri said Prime Minister Imran Khan had issued directives to make contacts with leaders of the religious parties including Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Senator Sirajul Haq, Allama Sajid Mir, Allama Sajid Nasir Naqvi and Raja Nasir Abbas to create awareness with regard to uniform policy pertaining to mosques and Ramazan-ul-Mubarak. "This role is to be played by everyone including opinion makers, Ulema and media as the government cannot do so alone," the minister said.

The minister said as the Speaker said a meaningless debate was initiated with spread of COVID-19 by Tableeghi Jamaat or Zaireen coming from Iran which could fan already existing differences. "But due to timely measures taken by the Speaker, the debate is coming to an end," he said. Shehryar Afridi said a Crisis Management in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is already working took into problems of Pakistanis stranded abroad.

To a question, the Speaker said it would be difficult to manage over 300 MNAs at the National Assembly, saying that the Parliament was already active. "I have established a sub-committee in this connection to see how to proceed further," he said. Asad Qaiser said the Parliament was playing its role in the wake of coronavirus outbreak in the country. He said a sub-committee has been constituted on the issue of pilgrims returning from Iran and Tableeghi Jamaat.

The sub-committee includes five people who are members of Tableeghi Jamaat's Shoora and Tayyaba Khanum and others as representatives of Zaireen.

Asad Qaiser said the government was also taking steps to resolve the problems of overseas Pakistanis, saying the foreign minister also attending Monday's meeting and he was asked to look into issues of Pakistani stranded abroad. "We have to follow some protocol to bring back stranded Pakistanis," he said.