Religious events, walks included in Taraweeh SOP order, SHC told

The Sindh government has included all kinds of religious gatherings, processions and rallies in the continuation of the Standard Operation Procedure (SOP) for the Ramzan-Taraweeh agreement with ulema given the COVID-19 pandemic, home department focal person Amanullah Zardari told the Sindh High Court on Wednesday.

Filing a statement on the petition of Pasban-e-Aza Pakistan general secretary Agha Ali Haider who challenged the ban on religious gatherings during the holy month of Ramazan, including majalis and processions for the Shahdat-e-Imam Ali (RA), the home department focal person said the Sindh government had not issued any notification on April 27 to allow majalis and processions. He said a fake notification had been circulated on social media which falsely said the government had permitted the majalis and processions.

The home department official said the federal government was negotiating at the national level and the provinces were following the federal government’s policy that may be applied by the provinces as per the situation of each province and commitment given by organisers because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

He produced a copy of the order/addendum issued on May 12 according to which all kind of religious gatherings, processions and rallies had been included in the

continuation the COVID-19 SOP agreed by the federal government and the ulema during the holy month of Ramzan.

The home department official said that because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government of Saudi Arabia and the Government of Iraq had also announced restrictions at holy sites of Baitullah, Masjid-e-Nabavi as well as Najaf-e-Ashraf and Karbala, with limited persons allowed to perform religious obligations at these holy sites, whereas the rest of the faithful had been advised to pray at their homes.

He said the Sindh government had sought input from religious leaders and scholars from all schools of thought who unanimously announced that if deemed necessary by the government, for medical reasons, it may place any restrictions on the number of persons offering prayers in congregations at mosques.

The Sindh additional advocate general and the home department official submitted that the notification/order under challenge by the petitioner was never issued by the Sindh government and it is a fake order.

The petitioner, as well as intervener Syed Mehmood Akhtar Naqvi, submitted that because of the order/addendum issued on May 12, 2020, the home department had included all kinds of religious gatherings, processions and rallies, in the “Order-Ramzan Taraweeh” as per the agreement with ulema which was issued by the Sindh government on April 23, keeping in mind 20-point SOPs formulated in view of the consultation between the President of Pakistan and ulema.

The SHC’s division bench, headed by Justice Mohammad Ali Mazhar, observed that since the impugned order issued on April 27 which was under challenge was said to have never been issued by the home department and a clear statement in writing had been given to this effect, therefore, the petition had become infructuous and disposed of along with pending applications.