Masses urged to get vaccinated for controlling pandemic

Islamabad: The Ulema and Mashaikh on Wednesday expressed their satisfaction over the composition of corona vaccine registered in Pakistan and endorsed the view of health experts, calling for vaccination to check the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.

“The protection of lives and health of masses is one of the objectives of religion and Shariah. Since corona is an epidemic, making arrangements to control and treat it is not only a demand of the Shariah but an order,” a joint statement issued after a consultative meeting of Ulema and Mashaikh from across the country with President Dr. Arif Alvi here at the Aiwan-e-Sadr stated.

Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Pir Noor-ul-Haq Qadri and Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) Chairman Dr Qibla Ayaz were also present in the meeting, which was attended through video-link by governors of Balochistan and Gilgit-Baltistan as well as Ulema from the four provinces, Azad Kashmir and GB.

Speaking on the occasion, President Alvi shared the contents of joint statement and said encouraging the masses for vaccination against the coronavirus was the duty of Ulema and Mashaikh.

“The vaccination of masses in the highest number would help check the pandemic effectively,” he added. The president said the vaccination of people would also help the country move forward with socio-economic activities, especially the work of labourers in industries and factories in a better way.

According to the joint statement, he said, in order to encourage the people for vaccination, Ulema and Mashaikh would effectively raise their voice from mosques, Imambargahs, Khanqahs and Madaris.

The president said on the coming Friday (June 4), Ulema in their sermons would specially urge the people to get them vaccinated, and would continue to make such announcements in future.

Besides, he said, the Ulema and Mashaikh also had an important role in creating awareness about inheritance laws as per religion, and the importance of mother-feeding, which could help check the issue of stunting growth.

President Alvi thanked the Ulema and Mashaikh for continued cooperation in the matters of national and religious importance.

He said after the blessings of Allah Almighty, it was the cooperation of Ulema, media, government’s policies and the guidelines of National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC) due to which the situation of coronavirus in Pakistan was much better as compared to other countries.

Syed Abbas Gardezi adds:

AJK President, Sardar Masood Khan, and the Ulema from AJK attended the conference from Aiwan-e-Sadr Muzaffarabad. Before the conference, President Sardar Masood Khan in a message said that the coronavirus positivity rate in Azad Kashmir has dropped from the highest peak of 20 percent to 6.52 percent and the time is not far when we will get rid of this pandemic completely.

Representing the Ulema and Mashaikhs of AJK, Secretary Religious Affairs Dr. Idrees Abbasi, religious scholar and Member Council of Islamic Ideology, Mufti Kifayat Hussain Naqvi, and Maulana Altaf Hussain Saifi said that by the grace of Almighty Allah, the coronavirus pandemic in Pakistan and AJK is declining.