By Our Staff Reporter
Lahore: In the face of intense pressure from religious leaders, the Pakistani government has allowed thousands of Tableeghi Jamaat members to hold a three-day meeting in Lahore starting on Friday, despite an increase in the number of new Coronavirus cases.
“The government has permitted the Tableeghi Jamaat to hold an annual religious congregation in Raiwind with the participation of 54,000 followers,” said the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) government handout here on Thursday.
It added that the three-day congregation would begin on Friday, with the attendees arriving from across the country. However, no one from outside the country is permitted to take part in a religious meeting, the statement read.
The government has said that the COVID-19 rules would be strictly observed in the congregation. Children and high-risk adults are not permitted.
Pakistan has seen a increase in the number of new Coronavirus cases after a brief lull in September. The virus death toll is 6.893 with more than 3.3 lakh confirmed infections.
Pakistan announced 605 new Coronavirus recoveries on Thursday, raising the number of reported cases to 316,665.
Earlier this year, members of the Tableeghi Jamaat were criticised for congregating in Lahore. About 80,000 Jamaat members attended the Raiwind Markaz religious congregation earlier in March. From there, a number of new Coronavirus cases had surfaced.
Prime Minister Imran Khan was slammed into the social media for making the congregation on Friday.
“On the one hand, we are imposing certain restrictions in the market and educational institutions and on the other we are allowing the Jamaat to gather thousands of people at one place to spread the virus”, PPP Punjab senior leader Usman Malik told PTI.