Saturday, April 25, 2020
#COVIDー19 & Religion: Why Are #Pakistani Muftis Resisting Closure Of Mosques?
Sultan B Mirza
Islamic scholars in Pakistan have been stubbornly resisting the closure of mosques in the face of a lethal pandemic like COVID-19. They have also failed to give any convincing reason for this suicidal behaviour. However, it seems that their secret reason is that, while they acknowledge the pandemic, they are not fully convinced that a disease can be transmitted from one human to another, clear evidence and modern medicine be damned.The secular case for closure of mosques during the ongoing pandemic in Pakistan is very straight forward: Pakistan is a poor, and religious country where – in the absence of any bars, cinemas and stadiums to speak of – mosques serve as the only community centers across the country. In the mosques, mass entry is not only free for all men but expected five times a day. Indeed, Pakistan should be able to substantially restrict the spread of the virus by closing down mosques and educational institutions. Conversely, keeping the mosques open means that all other efforts to contain the infectious virus will be rendered pointless.
Even if the above secular argument is cast aside, the non-cooperative behavior of Pakistani religious scholars is still very perplexing for four reasons. Firstly, mosques in practically all other Muslims countries have been locked down, including the two most sacred mosques in Mecca and Medina. In other words, Pakistani clerics are taking a path of their own, which probably the governments in other Muslim countries did not allow to their clerics. Secondly, mosques in Pakistan have not been locked down even for a day since the beginning of partial lockdown here a month ago. This means that there is a certain clarity of mind at work here that preemptively resisted the closure of mosques. Thirdly, the religious leaders have not made any notable demand for financial support from government in return for closing down the mosques; rather they have flatly refused to close the mosques at all. And lastly, the prominence in this entire crisis of religious spin-masters for the Pakistani establishment – the good old Mufti Taqi Usmani (who declared Bhutto’s land reforms un-Islamic and designed much of the prevalent Islamic banking system) and Mufti Muneebur Rehman (“our man on the moon”) – suggests that they are not telling us the truth.
The first thing to note in our search for truth is that plagues – understood as a disease suddenly inflicting a large number of people in a specific city or country – have existed for thousands of years. They famously featured in the exodus of Moses and his followers from Egypt in 1500 BCE. Athens experienced a devastating plague in 430 BCE that killed thousands of people. Michael W. Dols, in his groundbreaking 1977 study, “The Black Death in the Middle East”, notes that the bubonic plague that ravaged Europe in the 14th century was the sixth major outbreak experienced in the Muslim world, and that the most notable of the earlier outbreaks was the Amawas plague in Syria during the reign of Caliph Umar (also mentioned in Sahi Bukhari, 5729).
Next, we note that there is nothing in Quran that directly addresses the question of transmission of disease, but that there are at least six ahadith in Sahi Bukhari that contain the same refrain: “la adwa” [there is no contagious disease]. These ahadith, translated by Dr Muhammad Muhsin Khan for Maktaba Darussalam in Riyadh, are reproduced below:
“(There is) no Adwa (no contagious disease is conveyed without Allah’s Permission), nor Tiyara [nor is there any bad omen (from birds)], nor (is there any) Hama, Safar, and one should run away from the leper as one runs away from a lion.”
“”There is no Adwa (no disease is conveyed from the sick to the healthy without Allah’s Permission), nor Safar, nor Hama.” A bedouin stood up and said, “Then what about my camels? They are like deer on the sand, but when a mangy camel comes and mixes with them, they all get infected with mange.” The Prophet said, “Then who conveyed the (mange) disease to the first one?”
“”There is neither ‘Adwa (no contagious disease is conveyed to others without Allah’s permission) nor Tiyara, but an evil omen may be in three: a woman, a house animal.”
“No Adwa (no contagious disease is conveyed to others without Allah’s Permission), nor Tiyara, but I like the good word.”
“There is no Adwa, nor Tiyara, nor Hama, nor Safar.”
“No Adwa.”We may also note a seventh hadith, number 5771: “The cattle (sheep, cows, camels, etc.) suffering from a disease should not be mixed up with healthy cattle,” (or said) “Do not put a patient with a healthy person,”(as a precaution).It is clear from the above that Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) himself warned that lepers should be avoided and that diseased people and animals should be separated from healthy people and animals, respectively.
It is important to note at this point that the germ theory of disease now prevalent in the medical community across the world was developed in Europe only in the late 19th century. Until then, the physicians subscribed to the miasmic theory of ancient Greeks which attributed disease, including plagues, to a corruption of the environment, particularly the air (miasma).
Brill’s Encyclopedia of Islam, under the entry “waba” [plague], tells us that while medieval Muslim medicine, under Greek influence, also subscribed to the miasmic theory, “theological explanations contradicted the medical ones of an infected environment by claiming that disease comes directly from God, hence no infection should be feared.”Brill’s also tells us that, “the beliefs and the behaviour of Muslims when confronted by epidemics of the plague were determined in the Middle Ages, and works of this era, especially those of Ibn Hajar al-Askalani in the 15th century, were regarded as authoritative in succeeding centuries.” About this Ibn Hajar, we are informed by Dols (aforementioned) that he was an Egyptian scholar who “argue[d] against the predominant view that plague resulted from a miasma or corruption of the air. Ibn Hajar believed that plague was inflicted on mankind by evil jinn or demons—a view not inconsistent with the Muslim belief that plague was sent directly by God.” This theory by Ibn Hajar is reminiscent of Imam Ghazali’s famous reasoning for denying that fire directly causes a ball of cotton to burn: “Rather we say that the efficient cause of the combustion through the creation of blackness in the cotton and through causing the separation of its parts and turning it into coal or ashes is God—either through the mediation of the angels or without mediation” (quoted in entry on Imam Ghazali at Standford Encyclopedia of Philosophy).
However, there was one notable exception to these mainstream views noted above – Lisan-ad-Din Ibn al-Khatib (1313-1375), who was a polymath vizier in the court of Muhammad V of Andalus (now Spain). He was a witness to the plague that devastated Europe, and his hometown Granada, in 1348-49. He wrote a treatise afterwards on the plague in which he not only demonstrated its infectious nature but also addressed the hadith that denied such nature.
As regards the infectious nature of the plague, Ibn al-Khatib observed:
“If one asks, ‘how can you admit the assertion, there is infection, when the revealed word denies this?’ we answer: that infection exists, is confirmed by experience, research, insight and observation and through constantly recurring accounts. These are the elements of proof. For him who has treated or recognized this case, it cannot remain concealed that mostly the man who has had contact with a patient infected with this disease must die, and that, on the other hand, the man who has had no contact remains healthy. So it is with the appearance of the illness in a house or quarter because of a garment or a vessel; even an earring can destroy him who puts it in his ear, and all the inhabitants of the house. The illness can first appear in a town in a single house; then, from there, it can break out among individual contacts, then among their neighbours, relatives, and especially their visitors, until the breach becomes even greater. The illness can appear in coastal towns that enjoyed good health until there lands in them a man with plague, come from across the sea, from another coast where the plague already exists, as reports tell. The date of the appearance of the illness in the town tallies with the date of debarcation of this man… But there is nothing more wonderful at this time than the prison camp of the Muslims – may God free them! – in the Arsenal of Seville: there were thousands but the plague did not touch them although it practically destroyed the town itself. The report is also correct that the itinerant nomads living in tents in North Africa and elsewhere remained healthy because there the air is not shut in and the corruption proceeding from it could only gain a slight hold.” (Quoted in Manfred Ullmann, “Islamic Medicine”, Edinburgh University Press, 1978, p.94-95, emphasis added).
Next, Ibn al-Khatib’s scathing comments on blind adherence to the Prophetic tradition are eerily reminiscent of the ongoing criticism of the stubbornness of Pakistani clergy in the face of Covid-19:
“One principle that cannot be ignored is that if the senses and observation oppose a revealed indication, the latter needs to be interpreted, and the correct course, in this case, is to interpret it according to what a group of those who affirm contagion say. In the Law, there are many texts that support this, such as his saying, may God pray for him and grant him peace: “The sick should not be watered with the healthy,” and the saying of the Companion: “I flee from the will of God to His will.” This is not the place for prolixity on this subject…. To sum up, to play deaf to such an inference is malicious, perverting blasphemy against God, and holding the lives of Muslims to be cheap. A group of pious people in the Maghrib have renounced [their previous view] to the people, bearing witness against themselves that they no longer give fatwas to this effect [i.e., not believing in contagion], in order to avoid being in the position of declaring it permissible for people to engage in suicidal behavior. God protect us from nonsense and grant us success in both speech and action.” (Quoted in Justin K Stearns, “Infectious Ideas: Contagion in Premodern Islamic and Christian Thought in the Western Mediterranean”, The John Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, 2011, p.80-81. Emphasis added).
Lastly, we come back to the entry on “waba” in Brill’s Encyclopedia of Islam to see the developments in the Islamic world since the 19th century that are also visible these days in response to Covid-19:
“The change came about through the influence of the Europeans resident in the Levant, who successfully applied the techniques of protection in use in Europe, and especially through the awareness on the part of rulers of Muslim states of the importance of the demographic factor in military, fiscal and economic spheres. Traditional resignation to divine will was replaced, at least in the higher echelons of the state, by a conception which sought to reconcile the Sharia with modern science and the interests of the state. From the 1830s onward, the Ottoman Empire, Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco, equipped themselves with sanitary authorities and regulations, placing quarantine stations on maritime and terrestrial frontiers. These innovations were achieved with the aid of Westerners, diplomats and doctors, who saw an opportunity to enhance their influence. The rapidity of the results obtained, such that no cases of plague were recorded in the Ottoman Empire after 1844, resulted as much from the efforts of local sanitary institutions as from natural extinction of the temporary centres of the previous centuries. Later recurrences of the plague, few and of limited scope, were energetically combatted.” (Emphasis added)
To conclude, the religious leaders in Pakistan are evidently relying on manifestly erroneous statements against contagious diseases attributed by Imam Bukhari to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH); and secondly, unlike the governments in other Muslim countries, the governments in Pakistan (federal and provincial) do not have the requisite knowledge and force to prevail upon the power-hungry religious clergy to desist from spreading nonsense, nay death, in the name of Islam.
https://nayadaur.tv/2020/04/covid-19-religion-why-are-pakistani-muftis-resisting-closure-of-mosques/
Friday, April 24, 2020
#coronavirusinpakistan - PM’s logic to ease restrictions beyond comprehension: Bilawal
“For the first few weeks, the lockdown went relatively well and the people were abiding by the restrictions,” he said while in an interview with the BBC World News. He said, “The prime minister eased some restrictions including barber shops and tailors in the country so it was difficult to convince the religious minded people to follow the same restrictions about prayers.
“Before prime minister's easing of restrictions, the religious people were cooperating as only five members of mosque staff were allowed to offer prayers and people were urged to pray at home and there was no need to ease those restrictions, however, now the prime minister is justifying his decision risking the lives of the people,” he said.
He appealed to the people of Pakistan to stay at home and spend the month of Ramazan praying five times at home and protect themselves. The PPP chairman said that Sindh was the first province to impose the lockdown and Sindh government had engaged the religious community because we do not have the capacity or police to stop congregational prayers in the mosques because mixed messages are coming from the federal government.
“We are still trying to engage the religious community but it is now difficult when the prime minister is making an issue about freedom. "I think this is a colossal failure of leadership", he said.
Bilawal Bhutto said, “When we compare ourselves to the rest of the Muslim world like Saudi Arabia, Iran and others, they are taking steps to save the lives of their citizens.” This is not the time for populous electoral decisions. It is time to take decisions on the advice of doctors and health experts. Doctors of Pakistan from Lahore to Karachi are protesting or holding press conferences appealing to take those necessary steps to protect them and ease the burden on our healthcare system,” he said.
He said that there are capacity issues and no province is being supported up to their expectations by the federal government in increasing their testing capacity. He said, “Sindh is testing the most per capita and we want the federal government to support all provinces of Pakistan in increasing their testing capacity. No country in the world is designed or capable to maintain such a lockdown but everywhere the governments and leaders prioritise the lives and health of their citizens. We in Sindh work with a philosophy that we can bring the economy back to life, but not the people,” he said.
Bilawal said that the economic indicators were already bad for Pakistan before Covid-19 pandemic because it was mismanaged by the government. He said the World Bank (WB) report says that Pakistan, Afghanistan and Maldives may enter a recession as a result of this pandemic.
He said the federal government has the responsibility of running the economy and now it has also the responsibility of protecting the lives and health of the people and securing their livelihood.
“It was ironic that the first relief package by the federal govt was for the construction sector instead of doctors and nurses who risk their lives every single day,” he said. The PPP chairman said that Pakistan will regret not spending a higher ratio of GDP on health. “Whenever the PPP came to power, it drastically increased the spending on healthcare,” he said.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that he is not only worried for Pakistan but also for other developing countries at the time of the global pandemic. He said that for the last decade from US to India we witnessed flirtation with nationalistic popularism and partisanship and moving away from multilateralism. The PPP chairman said that we as a global community were not prepared to deal with such a pandemic and unfortunately, Pakistan did not forge national unity required to fight this pandemic.
79% of 11,155 #coronavirus cases locally transmitted in Pakistan
The Imran Khan government has decided to introduce a track and trace system in the country, under which random testing of people will start in a few days.
About 79 per cent of the total coronavirus cases in Pakistan are now locally transmitted, health authorities said on Friday as the number of people affected by the deadly virus rose to over 11,000.
According to the Ministry of National Health Services, 13 more patients died due to the novel coronavirus, taking the toll to 237 and another 2,527 recovered.
In the last 24 hours, 642 new cases were reported, taking the tally to 11,155 in the country, health officials said on Friday.
Punjab reported 4,767 patients, Sindh 3,671, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa 1,541, Balochistan 607, Gilgit-Baltistan 300, Islamabad 214 and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir 55 patients.
So far, 13,365 tests have been done in the country, including 6,839, during the last 24 hours.
The confirmed cases are steadily increasing and the officials have warned that the peak would reach by the end of May or beginning of June.
The National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on Friday said that 79 per cent of these cases have been caused by local transmission of the novel coronavirus.
The government has decided to introduce a track and trace system under which random testing of people will start in a few days.
The whole situation has changed due to local transmission, it had been decided to change the policy to tackle the issue, Executive Director of the National Institute of Health Professor Aamer Ikram was quoted as saying by the Dawn.
“Earlier most of the cases were being reported in those people who were coming from abroad and even cases of local transmission were being reported among those who had come into contact with foreign travellers. However now a majority of cases are being attributed to local transmission of the virus,” he said.
Meanwhile, authorities also urged people to offer prayers at home on Friday when big congregations are held in mosques.
Pakistan has allowed conditional congregational prayers in mosques during Ramzan, endangering the drive to curb the spread of coronavirus.
Imams overrule Pakistan’s lockdown as ramadan approaches
Zia Ur-RehmanNod to mosques to remain open raises questions as to who is in charge during the national crisis: the govt. or the clerics While clerics and governments across the Muslim world will greet Ramadan this week under lockdown, working together to shut mosques and urging worshippers to pray at home, in Pakistan, some of the most prominent imams have rallied their devotees to ignore the anti-pandemic measures.
Ramadan, which begins in Pakistan later this week, is the holy month in which Muslims crowd into mosques and fast all day, holding feasts after sundown with family and friends. Those are ripe conditions for the coronavirus to spread, and imams around the world are asking people to stay home.But in Pakistan, pandemic or no pandemic, hard-line clerics are calling the shots, overriding the government’s nationwide virus lockdown, which began late last month. Most clerics complied with the shutdown when it was announced. But some of the most influential ones called on worshippers to attend Friday prayers in even greater numbers. Devotees attacked police officers who tried to get in their way.As Ramadan drew closer, dozens of well-known clerics and leaders of religious parties — including some who had initially obeyed the lockdown orders — signed a letter demanding that the government exempt mosques from the shutdown during the holy month or invite the anger of God and the faithful. 20 rules to be followed On Saturday, the government gave in, signing an agreement that let mosques stay open for Ramadan as long as they followed 20 rules, including forcing congregants to maintain a 6-foot distance, bring their own prayer mats and do their ablutions at home. By the time Prime Minister Imran Khan met with the clerics on Monday, deferentially promising to abide by the deal, critics were demanding to know who was in charge during this national crisis: the government or the mosques.“The state has become totally subservient to these clerics,” said Husnul Amin, an Islamabad-based professor and scholar on Islam and politics. “It is very difficult for the state to implement what’s best for the public good. The larger public interest is always up against the clerics. It’s completely undemocratic.”Pakistan’s imams were empowered by the military during the 1980s when mosques across the country churned out jihadists to fight the Soviet military in Afghanistan with the support of the U.S. While other countries tried to curb hard-line clerics’ influence after the Afghan war, in Pakistan, the powerful military continued to use them as tools of foreign and domestic policy. But their defiance of the lockdown is exposing the limits of the military’s control. Beyond Army’s control The military wanted the shutdown, pressuring Mr. Khan to back the measure at a time when he was reluctant and worried about the economic toll. But when the security forces tried to prevent worshippers from gathering at mosques for prayers, they found themselves under attack. In Karachi, the largest city, scenes emerged of worshippers chasing the police through narrow alleyways, pelting them with rocks and sending several officers to the hospital. “The military has created a monster they can no longer control,” Mr. Amin said. “They are the creation of the military, and only they could handle them. That may no longer be the case.” By the time Ramadan approached, police officers were no longer willing to erect cordons around mosques to stop congregants. While clerics acknowledge that their mosques are perfect vectors for the coronavirus’s spread — worshippers gather to perform ablutions together before cramming into the mosques, shoulder to shoulder in supplication — they say they have to protect their bottom line: money and influence. “We know the coronavirus pandemic is a global health issue, but religious duties cannot be abandoned,” said Maulana Ataullah Hazravi, a Karachi-based cleric, adding that, “mosques depend largely on the donations collected during Ramadan.” NY Times
https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/imams-overrule-pakistans-lockdown-as-ramadan-approaches/article31417997.ece
Pakistan Calls Off Limits On Mosque Attendance In Time For Ramadan
DIAA HADID
Last Friday, dozens of worshippers braved pelting rain — and defied the government — to gather for communal prayers at Hanifiya mosque in the Pakistani capital Islamabad. They ignored official orders to limit Friday congregations to just five people — part of a broader ban on public gatherings to curb the spread of coronavirus.
Many of the Friday congregants were elderly, like 72-year-old retiree Awal Khan, precisely the category of people who have been hit hard by the pandemic.
"It is all in the hands of Allah," said Khan, who clucked disapprovingly when asked whether he was worried about the virus. He added he was standing "2 or 3 feet" away from fellow worshippers, but still, he said, "we should fear God" – not a pandemic.
With the holy Muslim month of Ramadan drawing near — it is expected to begin April 24 — Khan said he looked forward to spending even more time in the mosque for evening prayers, as Muslims traditionally do during the month. But this week, he won't be breaking the law.That's because authorities across Pakistan have now rescinded the order to limit mosque gatherings. The government now says its own rules about public gatherings will not apply for Ramadan.Pakistan has more than 10,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19, and more than 220 people have died, as of Thursday.The order to curb congregations was only ever spottily enforced, and it pointed to a particular issue in Pakistan: limiting group gatherings for worship is not easy in this deeply religious country.
Even as worshippers trudged into the Hanifiya mosque unhindered last week, a cleric in a hard-line mosque in Islamabad taunted authorities by urging his followers to cram together tightly for prayers over three successive Fridays.
Sometimes, the resistance has been violent. On April 10, worshippers in the port city of Karachi assaulted a policewoman trying to block them from entering a mosque. A video of the event shows the officer shouting, "They attacked me! They tried to murder me! They broke my glasses!"
Even when authorities tried to limit congregations, like at the ornate Haidari mosque in Islamabad, dozens of worshippers simply crammed shoulder to shoulder on a nearby sidewalk and prayed there instead.
Part of the defiance stems from the fact that clerics see mosques as power bases for projecting their influence, said Madiha Afzal, Rubenstein fellow at the Brookings Institution and author of Pakistan Under Siege: Extremism, Society, and the State. "The clerics see people not going into the mosques physically as a manifestation of weakened power," she said. Their defiance of government orders was saying, 'Look, our domain of control is the mosque and you cannot take this domain of control away from us.' "
The pressure on authorities only snowballed since the order was announced. Worshippers angrily denounced the limits on congregations as the government restarted the construction industry and allowed some businesses to reopen last week, including stationery shops.
"People crowd vegetable markets. Government offices," complained one worshipper, 28-year-old civil servant Mohammad Zubair. "So — there's only corona in mosques?"
And clerics chafed against the order as the holy Muslim month of Ramadan drew near.
"Muslims must be in the mosques in Ramadan and pray in congregation during this time of trial," insisted Mufti Taqi Usmani, one of Pakistan's most prominent clerics, who spoke at a press conference flanked by other famous scholars. Perhaps there, he said, "worshippers may pray to God to end the outbreak that was sent by Him."
Days later, the government announced that mosques will be open for worship after consultations with senior clerics, including those who had flanked Usmani at the press conference.
"If worshippers want to go [to mosques] and we stop them by deploying police and putting people in jail – this is not what free nations do," said Prime Minister Imran Khan, explaining the about-face in an Urdu-language post uploaded to his political party's Twitter feed.
The agreement to open mosques for worship came with rules to try prevent contagion, including an order that worshippers wear masks and keep a 6-foot distance from one another during prayers.
But some doctors have asked: If the government couldn't enforce a limit on congregations, how will it enforce this new tangle of rules?
"In Pakistan, the laws and regulations are not strictly implemented properly," said Dr. Qaisar Sajjad, head of the Pakistan Medical Association.
Sajjad was one of a handful of prominent doctors who wrote a letter pleading with the government and clerics to keep worshippers home.
"It will be a problem if mosques were open for prayers," he told NPR on Wednesday.
"In Ramadan, the number of cases of coronavirus will increase dramatically, and it will cause a lot of problems for the doctors as well as the paramedics," he said. "We have a shortage of ventilators, a shortage of trained doctors."
He noted in an earlier press conference that authorities said that if cases increased, they would review the decision to keep the mosques open. "Mr. Prime Minister, by then, it will be too late," he said.
https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2020/04/23/841886317/pakistan-calls-off-limits-on-mosque-attendance-in-time-for-ramadan
#coronavirus #Pakistan #PPP - Bilawal urges people to spend Ramazan at home
Talking to media persons in Islamabad, Bilawal said that Prime Minister Imran Khan’s logic and reasoning to change the restrictions that were already in place were beyond comprehension. He said that for the first few weeks the lockdown went relatively well and the people were abiding by the restrictions. Only five members of mosque staff were allowed to offer prayers and people were urged to pray at home.Pakistan People’s Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has appealed to the people of the country to stay home, spend the month of Ramazan praying five times a day at home and protect themselves.
The PM eased some restrictions, including allowing barbers and tailors to reopen their shops in the country, so it was difficult to convince the clerics to follow the same restrictions about prayers. Before the PM’s easing of restrictions, the clerics were cooperating, he said, adding that there was no need to ease those restrictions. “However, now the PM is justifying his decision, risking the lives of the people.”
The PPP chairman said that Sindh was the first province to impose the lockdown and the Sindh government had engaged the religious community because “we do not have the capacity or police to stop congregational prayers in the mosques”, because mixed messages were coming from the federal government. “We are still trying to engage the religious community, but it is now difficult when the PM is making an issue about freedom,” he added.
“I think this is a colossal failure of leadership,” he said. “When we compare ourselves to the rest of the Muslim world, like Saudi Arabia, Iran and others, they are taking steps to save the lives of their citizens. This is not the time for populous electoral decisions. It is time to take decisions on the advice of doctors and health experts. Doctors of Pakistan from Lahore to Karachi are protesting or holding press conferences, appealing to take those necessary steps to protect them and ease the burden on our healthcare system,” he maintained.
He said the federal government had the responsibility of running the economy, and now it had also the responsibility of protecting the lives and health of the people and securing their livelihood. It was ironic that the first relief package by the federal government was for the construction sector instead of doctors and nurses who risk their lives every single day, he said.
Bilawal said that Pakistan would regret not spending a higher ratio of GDP on health. Whenever the PPP came to power, it drastically increased the spending on healthcare, he recalled.
Bilawal said that he was not only worried for Pakistan but also for other developing countries at the time of the global pandemic.
“We as a global community were not prepared to deal with such a pandemic, and unfortunately, Pakistan did not forge national unity required to fight this pandemic.”
https://dailytimes.com.pk/601052/bilawal-urges-people-to-spend-ramazan-at-home-daily-times/
Thursday, April 23, 2020
وزیراعظم اپنے فیصلوں کو جائز قرار دے کر عوام کی زندگیاں خطرے میں ڈال رہے ہیں، چیئرمین پی پی پی بلاول بھٹو زرداری
چیئرمین پاکستان پیپلز پارٹی بلاول بھٹو زرداری نے پاکستان کے عوام سے اپیل کی ہے کہ وہ ماہ رمضان میں گھر پر رہ کر عبادات کریں اور اپنی زندگی کو بچائیں۔ چیئرمین بلاول بھٹو زرداری نے بی بی سی ورلڈ نیو ز سے باتیں کرتے ہوئے کہا کہ انہیں عمران خان کی یہ منتطق سمجھ نہیں آتی کہ وہ پابندیاں اٹھا لیں جن پر پہلے اچھی طرح عمل ہو رہا تھا۔ انہوں نے کہا کہ لاک ڈاﺅن کے پہلے چند ہفتے بہت بہتر گزر رہے تھے اور لوگ پابندیوں کی پاسداری کر رہے تھے لیکن پھر لاک ڈاﺅن میں عمران خان نے پابندیوں نرم کر دیں اور حجام اور درزیوں کی دکانیں کھولنے کا حکم دے دیا۔ اس کے بعد مذہبی طبقوں کو سمجھانا مشکل ہوگیا۔ عمران خان کی جانب سے پابندیاں نرم ہونے سے قبل عوام تعاون کر رہے تھے اور پابندیاں نرم کرنے کی کوئی ضرورت نہیں تھی۔ تاہم اب وزیراعظم اپنے فیصلوں کو جائز قرار دے رہے ہیں اور عوام کی زندگیاں خطرے میں ڈال رہے ہیں۔
چیئرمین بلاول بھٹو نے کہا کہ سندھ نے سب سے پہلے لاک ڈائن کیا اور مذہبی حلقوں کو اعتماد میں لیا اور مسجدوں میں باجماعت میں صرف پانچ لوگ شامل ہو سکتے تھے لیکن اب عمران خان نے آزادی کی مسئلہ بناد یا ہے۔ جب ہم اپنا موازنہ سعودی عرب اور دیگر اسلامی ممالک سے کرتے ہیں تو ہم دیکھتے ہیں کہ ان ممالک نے اپنے شہریوں کی زندگیوں کی حفاظت کی خاطر باجماعت نماز پر پابندی لگائی ہے۔ بلاول بھٹو زرداری نے کہا کہ یہ وقت نہیں کہ مقبول فیصلے کئے جائیں بلکہ یہ وقت ڈاکٹروں اور طبی ماہرین سے مشورہ کرکے فیصلے کرنے کا ہے۔ پاکستان بھر میں ڈاکٹر پریس کانفرنس کرکے حکومت سے اپیل کر رہے ہیں کہ وہ تحفظ چاہتے ہیں اور ہیلتھ کیئر سسٹم کو بچانا چاہتے ہیں۔ انہوں نے کہا کہ وفاقی حکومت صوبائی حکومتوں کی اتنی مدد نہیں کر رہی جس کی وہ توقع کرتے ہیں اور ٹیسٹنگ کی استعداد بڑھانے کے لئے بھی وفاقی حکومت نے صوبائی حکومتوں کی مدد نہیں کی ہے کہ اس وباءکا مقابلہ کرنے کے لئے دنیا میں کسی بھی ملک میں صلاحیت نہیں ہے لیکن ساری دنیا کی حکومتیں لوگوں کی زندگیاں بچانے کے لئے کوشاں ہیں۔ سندھ اس فلسفے پر کام کر رہا ہے کہ ہم معیشت کو دوبارہ زندہ کر سکتے ہیں لیکن انسانوں کو نہیں۔
انہوں نے کہا کہ اس وباءسے پہلے بھی پاکستان کی معیشت کمزور تھی اور بدانتظامی کا شکار تھی اور وفاقی حکومت کی یہ ذمہ داری ہے کہ وہ معیشت کو چلائے، لوگوں کی زندگیاں بچائے اور ان کا روزگار بھی بچائے۔ حیرت کی بات ہے کہ تعمیراتی شعبے کو ریلیف پیکیج دیا گیا ہے لیکن ڈاکٹروں کو اور نرسوں کو نہیں دیا گیا جو ہر روز اپنی زندگیاں خطرے میں ڈال رہے ہیں۔ انہوں نے کہا کہ پاکستان میں ہیلتھ کے شعبے میں سرمایہ کاری نہیں کی جس پر پاکستان کو پچھتانا پڑے گا لیکن پیپلزپارٹی کی حکومت جب بھی آئی اس نے ہیلتھ کے بجٹ میں اضافہ کیا۔ انہوں نے کہا کہ پچھلی تقریباً ایک دہائی سے بھارت سے لے کر امریکہ تک قوم پرستانہ رویہ اپنایا گیا جوکہ نہیں ہونا چاہیے تھا۔ انہوں نے کہا کہ عالمی برادری اس وباءسے نمٹنے کے لئے تیار نہیں تھی بدقسمتی کی بات ہے کہ پاکستان میں اس وباءسے نمٹنے کے لئے قومی یکجہتی پیدا نہیں کی۔
Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari appeals to Muslims across the world and in Pakistan to “Stay at home and pray at home“
Chairman Bilawal talking to BBC World News said that Prime Minister Imran Khan’s logic and reasoning to change the restrictions which were already in place is beyond comprehension. He said that for the first few weeks, the lockdown went relatively well and the people were abiding by the restrictions. Only five members of mosque staff were allowed to offer prayers and people were urged to pray at home. The PM eased some restrictions including barber shops and tailors in the country so it was difficult to convince the religious minded people to follow the same restrictions about prayers. Before PM’s easing of restrictions, the religious people were cooperating and there was no need to ease those restrictions. However, now the PM is justifying his decision risking the lives of the people.
Chairman PPP said that Sindh was the first province to impose the lockdown and Sindh government had engaged the religious community because we do not have the capacity or police to stop congregational prayers in the mosques because mixed messages are coming from the federal government. We are still trying to engage the religious community but it is now difficult when the PM is making an issue about freedom. “I think this is a colossal failure of leadership”, he said. When we compare ourselves to the rest of the Muslim world like Saudi Arabia, Iran and others, they are taking steps to save the lives of their citizens. This is not the time for populous electoral decisions. It is time to take decisions on the advice of doctors and health experts. Doctors of Pakistan from Lahore to Karachi are protesting or holding press conferences appealing to take those necessary steps to protect them and ease the burden on our healthcare system.
He said that there are capacity issues and no province is being supported up to their expectations by the federal government in increasing their testing capacity. Sindh is testing the most per capita. We want the federal government to support all provinces of Pakistan in increasing their testing capacity. No country in the world is designed or capable to maintain such a lockdown but everywhere the governments and leaders prioritise the lives and health of their citizens. We in Sindh work with a philosophy that we can bring the economy back to life, but not the people. He said that the economic indicators were already bad for Pakistan before Covid-19 pandemic because it was mismanaged by the government. The World Bank report says that Pakistan, Afghanistan and Maldives may enter a recession as a result of this pandemic. The federal government has the responsibility of running the economy and now it has also the responsibility of protecting the lives and health of the people and securing their livelihood. It was ironic that the first relief package by the federal government was for the construction sector instead of doctors and nurses who risk their lives every single day.
Chairman PPP said that Pakistan will regret not spending a higher ratio of GDP on health. Whenever the PPP came to power, it drastically increased the spending on healthcare.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that he is not only worried for Pakistan but also for other developing countries at the time of the global pandemic. He said that for the last decade from US to India we witnessed flirtation with nationalistic popularism and partisanship and moving away from multilateralism.
Chairman PPP said that we as a global community were not prepared to deal with such a pandemic and unfortunately, Pakistan did not forge national unity required to fight this pandemic.
https://www.ppp.org.pk/2020/04/23/chairman-ppp-bilawal-bhutto-zardari-appeals-to-muslims-across-the-world-and-in-pakistan-to-stay-at-home-and-pray-at-home/
#CoronaVirusUpdates #Pakistan # Sindh bans congregational Taraweeh prayers amid fears of coronavirus spike
In a late-night video message, Chief Minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah urged the people to offer the Taraweeh prayers at home. “We have taken the decision after consulting with doctors, medical experts. I request Ulema to cooperate with the government.”
Mosques will remain open and Taraweeh prayers will be offered as usual but only the staff will be allowed to participate, he added. He said that the top doctors in Karachi had expressed their concerns during a press conference and similar sentiments were shared by the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) Punjab today.
CM Shah said that the 15 next days would be crucial and a stricter lockdown would be imposed in the province during the period. “Even if we were making wrong decisions, Allah will forgive us as our intentions are good,” he said, adding that the government is forced to make tough decisions.
He said that shopping malls that were not following the standard operation procedures (SOP) have been shut. “Small traders are cooperating, therefore, they have been allowed to deliver their products to customers but explained that no one would be allowed to visit shops in markets.”
The chief minister went on to say that he took the decision after taking President Dr Arif Alvi into confidence. CM Shah also said that the decision does not deviate from the agreement reached between the federal government and the Ulema about congregational prayers in mosques.
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2205490/1-sindh-bans-congregational-taraweeh-prayers-amid-fears-coronavirus-spike/“Agreement allowed the provincial governments to change the decision if the situation appears to worsen.”
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari directs Sindh CM Murad Ali Shah to visit all districts of province
Chairman Pakistan People’s Party Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has directed Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah to visit all the districts of Sindh.
Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that providing relief to those in need at their doorstep is an appreciable task.
Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that providing relief to those in need at their doorstep is an appreciable task.
“The principle of social distancing should be followed and the people in need should be dealt in a manner which does not compromise their self respect,” he said while chairing a video link meeting in which the Sindh Chief Minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah about the situation of COVID-19 in Sindh.https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/647990-bilawal-bhutto-zardari-directs-sindh-cm-murad-ali-shah-to-visit-all-districts-of-province
Wednesday, April 22, 2020
#Pakistan - Lack of transparency in #PTI dealings - #کرپٹ_عمران_جواب_دو
- Dangerous in the era of coronavirus
In January the PTI government had lashed out at Transparency International for placing Pakistan further down in its corruption perception list. Questions have now been raised by the Supreme Court about lack of transparency in the way the government is using relief funds. The court also raised questions about the use of Zakat fund for providing remuneration to the officials of the department, conducting administrative affairs and undertaking air travels. The government was grilled over inadequate quarantine facilities and ‘inhumane’ conditions prevailing at the Hajj Complex. The provincial governments were also reprimanded over the way they distributed rations.
The PTI government also remains inscrutable on a number of other issues. It has announced guidelines to people in general and shoppers, storekeepers and prayer leaders in particular. A perception is being formed that the announcements are not meant to be implemented but are in fact optics aimed at creating an impression that the government is trying its best to fight the coronavirus. This explains why the government lets the bazaars in major cities be crowded while customers and storekeepers are not penalized for creating huddles, or prayer leaders arrested for violating the instructions are set free. The government avoids alienating any large group of voters even if this harms the country.
The PTI government appears to be convinced that providing jobs, even if these raise the mortality graph, will get it more votes in the next elections than saving lives by implementing strict distancing measures. SAPM Zafar Mirza continues to under-rate the pandemic, maintaining that infections in Pakistan are two-thirds lower than forecast earlier. The explanation given by him is that it was due to the immediate measures taken by the government to control the outbreak under the supervision of Prime Minister Imran Khan. While the explanation is obviously aimed at gaining political mileage, it flies in the face of facts. The first two cases of coronavirus in Pakistan were reported on February 26 and the mismanaged opening of the Taftan border took place on February 28. Mr Khan however did not take any public notice of the issue till March 14, when Pakistan’s tally of coronavirus cases had already arisen to 33.
#CoronaInPakistan - Imran Khan will be responsible if Covid-19 situation worsens
Secretary Information Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians Dr. Nafisa Shah has warned Prime Minister Imran Khan to end the war against Sindh. She said that Imran Khan and his associates are inciting some quarters against Sindh.
Dr. Shah asked what message the Governor Sindh want to give by violating section 144? It is clear that the Prime Minister wants to destroy all good work done by the Sindh government under Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah. The President, the Prime Minister, and all federal ministers are playing a dangerous game. On one hand, Sindh CM is visiting Sindh without protocol and on the other Governor is traveling with entourage and razzmatazz.
Dr. Nafisa Shah said that one member of the Tiger Force was caught in Sukkur involved in looting people with counterfeit forms. She said that Imran Khan, on one hand, says that the peak of the disease is to come in May and on the other says lockdown is not the solution. Imran Khan will be held responsible if more lives are lost due to COVID-19, she concluded.
https://www.ppp.org.pk/2020/04/22/imran-khan-will-be-responsible-if-covid-19-situation-worsens-dr-nafisa-shah/
Dr. Shah asked what message the Governor Sindh want to give by violating section 144? It is clear that the Prime Minister wants to destroy all good work done by the Sindh government under Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah. The President, the Prime Minister, and all federal ministers are playing a dangerous game. On one hand, Sindh CM is visiting Sindh without protocol and on the other Governor is traveling with entourage and razzmatazz.
Dr. Nafisa Shah said that one member of the Tiger Force was caught in Sukkur involved in looting people with counterfeit forms. She said that Imran Khan, on one hand, says that the peak of the disease is to come in May and on the other says lockdown is not the solution. Imran Khan will be held responsible if more lives are lost due to COVID-19, she concluded.
https://www.ppp.org.pk/2020/04/22/imran-khan-will-be-responsible-if-covid-19-situation-worsens-dr-nafisa-shah/
Are Imran Khan’s Days as Pakistan’s Prime Minister Numbered?
The PTI government’s poor performance has apparently alienated even Pakistan’s kingmakers: the military.
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan is under criticism from the media for what is being called his government’s failure to make visible progress on the economic and political fronts as well as decisively confront the COVID-19 pandemic.
Khan was once Pakistan’s most popular man and believed to be a messiah, able to steer the country out of myriad problems ranging from economic mismanagement to corruption, terrorism, and a darkened international image. While in the opposition, Khan spoke from a very high moral pedestal; now it seems his idealism raised expectations beyond his capacity.
His government’s performance during the past 20 months has not only disenchanted many of his diehard supporters in the media and his voters, particularly among the middle class and the youth, but also to some extent alienated the decision makers in the military, Pakistan’s most powerful institution, which is always seen as a silent and invisible actor in throning and de-throning leaders and governments in Pakistan.
COVID-19 and Khan Government’s Response
On April 13, while hearing a suo moto case, Pakistan’s Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed remarked that “there is no betterment in the federal government’s performance to deal with the outbreak.”
The coronavirus that causes COVID-19 appeared in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December last year. In Pakistan, the first COVID-19 case was confirmed on February 26. Since then, Pakistan’s central government has failed to announce a clear strategy on whether the country is going into a lockdown or staying open. Rather, the response to one of the most important issues in recent decades remained confused.
Last week, the Khan government extended the “lockdown” for another two weeks but allowed congregational prayers at mosques and the opening of certain shops and businesses, along with the construction industry.
Such half measures gave a majority of Pakistanis, who were already in a state of disbelief about the virus and were reluctant to accept the pandemic as a real and genuine threat, an excuse to flout the ban. Even those who had adopted the precautionary measures are in a state of confusion as to whether to observe a lockdown or not.
A Sugar Scandal
As the coronavirus pandemic is taking its toll on human life in Pakistan and the rest of the world, the finding of an investigative report was leaked to the media. The report alleged the involvement of Khan’s key associates and cabinet members in creating an artificial sugar shortage crisis in the country last year, and in the process earning themselves huge sums of money.
For decades, Imran Khan built his reputation as an anti-graft campaigner who used to accuse his opponents of looting the country’s wealth and sending the money abroad. The sugar scandal has already struck a blow to Khan’s reputation at a time when his government is on the backfoot for its sluggish response to the COVID-19 crisis.
Although the COVID-19 emergency diverted attention from politics for a while, rumors are that Khan’s key backers in the military establishment are also fed up with his style of government and his performance.
Does That Mean a Change Is in the Offing?
When Pakistani opposition parliamentarians repeatedly used the term “selected prime minister” soon after Khan’s swearing in, they knew very well who they were pointing to as the “selectors.” Obviously, they were referring to the country’s powerful military and its intelligence agencies.
One simple reason for Khan’s elevation to the top was to block the two major parties from entering into power. The opposition leadership had learned a hard lesson about the need for resolving their differences and the problems faced by the country in light of the constitution.
Another possible reason was Khan’s charisma and his “Mr. Clean” image. Altogether the purpose was to help overcome corruption, boost the economy by bringing in international investment, and help improve Pakistan’s international image, which had been bitterly affected by its pro-Taliban leanings in the post-9/11 war against terrorism.
The emergence of democratic norms and a culture of political tolerance in Pakistani politics from 2008 to 2018 proved a warning signal for the undemocratic forces. It was during this period that the country’s parliament approved the 18th amendment, which, apart from shifting powers from the center to the federating units, also curtailed the authority of the president to dissolve the assemblies. The bill also reversed many changes introduced by military rulers to weaken the democratic process.
Apparently, democracy was strengthened in Pakistan and two elected governments – albeit not the originally elected prime ministers — successively completed their five-year terms without interruption from 2008 to 2018 for the first time in the history of Pakistan.
But Imran Khan’s election once again pushed Pakistan back into the era of the 1990s by opening the floodgates of mudslinging and inviting military intervention.
Both the military and Khan, in the first year of his government, used to proudly repeat the mantra of being on the “same page” which means there is no trouble between the two. However, 20 months on the “same page” mantra has almost disappeared from national press coverage.
What Next?
It is generally believed that the powerful circles are disenchanted with Khan’s performance but seem to be in a fix as how to undo what has been done for several reasons.
In the first place, the opposition parties are not willing to support any unconstitutional step that may show the door to the prime minister or oust his government. There are two reasons for the opposition’s unwillingness.
First, the political maturity attained over the past two decades is stopping the leadership of the two major opposition parties – People’s Party and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz – from backing an unconstitutional step, even if the victim is a staunch opponent like Imran Khan.
Second, the top leadership of the two major opposition parties – Nawaz Sharif and Asif Ali Zardari – don’t have pleasant memories of dealing with the military during their time as prime minister and president respectively. They must be reluctant to allow their parties to save face for the establishment in doing away with their handpicked man.
Half of Imran Khan’s failures are credited to the military, mainly because of the widespread perception that it was the military that paved his way to electoral victory.
Khan’s popularity among youth may also be a serious concern. While his popularity graph is apparently on the decline, his army of blind followers would not silently absorb his premature removal from power.
The military has already lost a considerable amount of support and sympathy in its main recruiting land of Punjab by sidelining Nawaz Sharif, an ethnic Punjabi and the most popular leader in his native Punjab province. This is no time to pick a dispute with another popular man and his support base.
In the meantime, while the COVID-19 situation has further exposed the weaknesses in the government performance and thus further widened the gap in the former “same page” narrative, it also, apparently, has averted the possibility of any political change for the next several months.
Pakistan’s Covid-19 gambit
Using the pandemic, Pakistan is boosting its terror infrastructure. Be prepared.
Pakistan is using the coronavirus pandemic (Covid-19) to secure its terror infrastructure. First, there were reports that the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) — which in February, gave Pakistan only four months to deliver on an action plan to curb terror financing — is expected to put off a review of steps taken so far by Pakistan till much later in the year because of the pandemic. On April 20, another report emerged of Pakistan removing almost 3,800 names from a terrorism watchlist for Punjab province. Of these, more than 1,800 names were removed since early March, while the international community was focused on the Covid-19 pandemic. Counterterrorism experts also noted that Pakistan’s National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA) cited no explanation for the removal of names, which is the standard practice during such delistings.
Pakistan’s counterterrorism practices are notoriously opaque. For years, NACTA’s website only maintained a list for proscribed organisations, with officials asserting that the maintenance of lists of proscribed individuals was the responsibility of provincial authorities. It is not just the listing of terrorists; there is no information in the public domain regarding the trial of the seven men arrested for alleged involvement in the 2008 Mumbai attacks. There is also no information on the whereabouts of one of these men, Lashkar-e-Taiba operations commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, following his release on bail five years ago.
Pakistan is clearly making the most of reduced pressure from the world community to crack down on terrorism at a time when most countries are focused on defeating the pandemic and addressing its impact on their economies. This is shameful. The let-up of pressure on terrorists comes at a time when Pakistani forces have intensified shelling along the frontiers in Kashmir. India will find it hard to take up these issues with other countries as bilateral and multilateral meetings have ground to a halt. The only option now is for India to keep its powder dry to deal with mischief by Pakistan-based terrorists, and to firm up its plans to increase the cost for Pakistan using terrorism as a State policy.
مساجد کھولنے کے خطرناک نتائج نکل سکتے ہیں، پاکستانی ڈاکٹرز
پاکستان میں سینیئر ڈاکٹروں نے حکومت سے اپیل کی ہے کہ وہ کورونا کی وبا کے دوران باجماعت نماز پڑھنے کی اجازت دینے کے اپنے فیصلے پر نظر ثانی کرے۔
حکومت کو لکھے گئے ایک خط میں طبی ماہرین نے خبردار کیا کہ رمضان میں مساجد میں لوگوں کا رش بڑھتا ہے اور تراویح کے اجتماعات دیر تک جاری رہتے ہیں، ایسے میں ملک میں وائرس پھیلنے اور صورتحال بگڑنے کا خدشہ ہے۔ ڈاکٹروں کا کہنا ہے کہ مساجد میں پچاس سال سے زائد عمر کے لوگ زیادہ جاتے ہیں، جس سے ان کی جان کو زیادہ خطرہ ہو سکتا ہے۔
یہ خط پاکستان اسلامک میڈیکل ایسوسی ایشن کی جانب سے حکومت کو ارسال کیا گیا ہے۔ خط پر آغا خان یونیورسٹی کراچی کے سینیئر ڈاکٹر فیصل محمود اور فلاحی ادارے انڈس ہسپتال کے سربراہ ڈاکٹر عبدالباری خان سمیت تیرہ سرکردہ ڈاکٹروں کے دستخط ہیں۔ پاکستان میں وفاقی حکومت کا موقف ہے کہ لوگوں کو زبردستی مساجد میں جانے سے نہیں روکا جا سکتا۔
منگل کو کورونا وائرس سے متعلق میڈیا بریفنگ میں وزیراعظم عمران خان نے مساجد کھولنے کے حکومتی فیصلے کا دفاع کرتے ہوئے کہا،''پاکستانی ایک آزاد قوم ہے۔ ماہ رمضان میں عبادات پر خصوصی توجہ دی جاتی ہے، ہماری قوم مساجد میں جانا چاہتی ہے تو کیا ہم ان لوگوں کو زبردستی کہیں کہ آپ مساجد میں نہ جائیں اور کیا پولیس مساجد میں جانے والوں کو جیلوں میں ڈالے گی؟‘‘
پاکستان میں پچھلے ہفتے دیوبندی، بریلوی اور اہلحدیث علماء کے ایک با اثر گروپ نے دھمکی دی تھی کہ وہ حکومتی لاک ڈاؤن کے تحت مساجد کو مزید بند نہیں رکھ سکتے، جس کے بعد کئی علاقوں میں باجماعت نماز کے لیے مساجد کے دروازے کھول دیے گئے تھے۔
صدر پاکستان ڈاکٹر عارف علوی نے ہفتے کو علماء کے ساتھ مشاورت کے بعد اعلان کیا کہ رمضان کے دوران تراویح اور اجتماعی عبادت کے لیے مساجد کھولی جا رہی ہیں۔ اس موقع پر حکومت نے علماء کی اتفاق رائے سے ایک بیس نکاتی حفاظتی ہدایت نامہ جاری کیا اور لوگوں پر زور دیا کہ اس کی پاسداری وہ خود کریں۔
واضح رہے کہ سعودی عرب سمیت کئی مسلم ممالک نے کورونا وبا کے مدنظر باجماعت نماز اور تراویح پر پابندی کا اعلان کر رکھا ہے۔
منگل کو وزیراعظم عمران خان نے کہا کہ گو کہ حکومت پاکستان کی طرف سے مشروط طور پر مساجد کھولنے کا فیصلہ کیا گیا ہے لیکن لوگوں کو چاہیے کہ رمضان کے دوران گھر پر رہ کر عبادت کریں۔ انہوں نے کہا کہ اگر رمضان کے دوران مساجد میں حفاظتی ہدایات کا خیال نہ رکھا گیا اور بیماری پھیلی تو پھر مساجد کو بند کرنا پڑے گا۔
لیکن ڈاکٹروں کا کہنا ہے کہ رمضان کے اجتماعات کے دوران حکومت کے لیے سماجی دوری اور حفاظتی ہدایات پر عملدرآمد ممکن نہیں ہوگا، جس سے مریضوں کی تعداد میں زبردست اضافے کا خدشہ ہے۔
حکومت کے نام اپنے خط میں طبی ماہرین نے کہا کہ پاکستان کے شہریوں میں تعلیم کی کمی کے باعث ویسے بھی نظم و ضبط کا فقدان ہے اور پچھلے چند ہفتوں کے دوران کراچی میں باجماعت نماز جمعہ کرانے والوں اور پولیس کے درمیان پر تشدد واقعات پیش آچکے ہیں۔ ڈاکٹروں نے خدشہ ظاہر کیا کہ رمضان کے دوران بدانتظامی سے شہریوں اور قانون نافذ کرنے والوں کے درمیان محاذ آرائی کے واقعات پیش آ سکتے ہیں۔
Tuesday, April 21, 2020
Pakistan records highest number of coronavirus deaths in a day
Monday also saw the highest single-day rise in confirmed cases as 705 more got infected, taking country's tally to 9,214.
Pakistan has seen its highest rise in deaths in a single day from the coronavirus, with 17 new cases taking the country's death toll from the highly contagious virus to at least 192, according to government data.Monday also saw the highest single-day rise in cases in Pakistan, with 705 confirmed cases taking the country's tally to 9,214, according to the data.So far, at least 2,053 patients have recovered from COVID-19 in the country, leaving the active case tally at 6,969.
The increase in cases has occurred in conjunction with a modest increase in testing capacity, as the government aims to ramp up to 25,000 tests a day.
Pakistan has conducted 111,806 tests, or 0.53 tests per thousand people.
The government appears to be far off its target, however, with only 5,347 tests conducted on Monday, as per government data.
After an initial outbreak sparked mainly by cases of travellers from neighbouring Iran and other countries, Pakistan has seen a spike in local transmission of the virus, which accounted for 65 percent of all cases as of this week, the country's de facto Health Minister Zafar Mirza told reporters.Mirza also said the government was working on setting up a platform to allow Pakistani doctors in the global diaspora to return to the country and help efforts to fight the coronavirus.On Sunday, doctors' unions across the country formed the Grand National Health Alliance in protest against what they say is a lack of proper personal protective equipment (PPE) kits and other steps to keep doctors safe from the virus.The move came days after young doctors protesting the lack of PPE kits clashed with police outside a main government building in the eastern city of Lahore. A group of protesters is holding a hunger strike at that protest site, demanding better protection for healthcare workers.
Ramadan measures
On Monday, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan met senior religious leaders from across the country to reiterate the government's commitment to reopen mosques under a 20-point set of guidelines to ensure proper physical distancing."The religious leaders' delegation fully supported the prime minister's position on the lockdown," said a statement released by Khan's office after the meeting. "The religious leaders assured [the government] of their full cooperation."Mirza, the health minister, said all the religious leaders - some of whom had unilaterally declared they would be reopening mosques for congregational prayers last week - agreed that they would abide by the government's code of conduct."Religious leaders have taken the responsibility to implement those SOPs," he said. "In this respect, there is an understanding that if, God forbid, we find out that the virus is spreading more rapidly because of this, then we will take appropriate steps, while taking the [leaders] in confidence."The government's plan for reopening mosques includes ensuring that worshippers stand more than two metres (six feet) from each other; removing prayer mats and carpets from mosque floors; and cleaning mosque floors with chlorinated disinfectants.
The government has also banned elderly and sick people from attending prayers, has asked that ablutions be performed at home, and that all worshippers wear face masks. Prayer leaders have been told to discourage discussions between worshippers after the conclusion of prayers.
The plan also has specific arrangements for special "tarawih" prayers that are observed during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which is to begin later this week. Mosques will hold limited tarawih prayers, and will not be allowed to serve meals to break the fast at sunset or before the fast at sunrise.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/04/pakistan-records-highest-number-coronavirus-deaths-day-200421082118654.html
وفاق صوبوں کو صحت سے متعلق فوری فنڈز فراہم کرے، بلاول بھٹو
پیپلز پارٹی کے چیئرمین بلاول بھٹوزرداری نے کہا ہے کہ وفاق پر لازم ہے کہ وہ صوبوں کو صحت سے متعلق فوری فنڈز فراہم کرے۔ اب تک صوبوں کو وفاق کی جانب سے کوئی بھی اضافی رقم نہیں ملی۔
انہوں نے ان خیالات کا اظہار وزیراعلیٰ سندھ کی جانب سے وڈیو لنک پر کورونا وائرس کی صورتحال پر بریفنگ کے دوران کیا۔
اس موقع پر انہیں بتایا گیا کہ لاڑکانہ میں کورونا سے بچاؤ کے اقدامات کیے گئے ہیں اور اگلے ہفتے تک لاڑکانہ میں کورونا ٹیسٹ لیبارٹری کام شروع کردے گی۔
وزیراعلیٰ نے بریفنگ کے دوران مزید کہا کہ اب تک لاڑکانہ میں ساڑھے 13ہزارمستحقین کو راشن بیگ دیے گٸے ہیں، لاڑکانہ کے 3 ہزار 313 خاندانوں میں فی خاندان 6 ہزار روپے زکوٰۃ فنڈ سے دیےگئے ہیں۔
وزیراعلیٰ نے کہا کہ حکومت سندھ نے مختلف ممالک سے آنے والوں کو خود تلاش کیا۔ بے نظیر بھٹو یونیورسٹی آریجہ کیمپس اور بوائز ہاسٹل میں قرنطینہ سینٹر بناٸے گئے ہیں۔
لاڑکانہ میں مدنی تبلیغی سینٹر اور بی بی آصفہ ڈینٹل کالج میں بھی قرنطینہ کیمپ بنائے ہیں۔ انہوں نے بتایا کہ لاڑکانہ میں 663 افراد کا کورونا ٹیسٹ کیا گیا جن میں 63 افراد کی مثبت رپورٹ آئی۔
اس موقع پر گفتگو کرتے ہوئے بلاول بھٹو زرداری نے کہا کہ عوام کے جان و مال اور صحت کی ذمہ داری وفاقی حکومت کی ہے۔ وفاق پر لازم ہے کہ وہ صوبوں کو صحت سےمتعلق فوری فنڈز فراہم کرے۔
اب تک صوبوں کو وفاق کی جانب سے کوئی بھی اضافی رقم نہیں ملی۔ وفاق کی بی آئی ایس پی کی امداد کی تقسیم کی غلط حکمت عملی سے کورونا پھیلاؤ کا خطرہ ہے۔
بلاول بھٹو نے کہا کہ سماجی فاصلہ رکھ کر ایسے امداد کی جائے کہ مستحقین کی عزت نفس اور زندگیاں محفوظ رہیں۔ انہوں نے کہا کہ سندھ میں مستحق افراد کو امداد گھر کی دہلیز پر پہنچانے کا عمل قابل تعریف ہے۔
بلاول بھٹو نے وزیراعلیٰ سندھ مراد علی شاہ کو ہدایت کی کہ وہ سندھ کے تمام اضلاع کا دورہ کریں، معیشت دوبارہ ٹھیک ہو سکتی ہے، زندگیاں دوبارہ نہیں لوٹائی جاسکتیں۔ پیپلز پارٹی کے تمام ذمہ داران عوام میں سماجی فاصلے کا شعور پیدا کریں۔
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