The Sindh government has allowed religious congregations on Eidul Fitr and Jummatul Wida, provincial ministers announced Wednesday. Eid prayers will be held in the province and so will be Jummatul Wida, Sindh Information Nasir Shah announced at a press conference in Karachi. He said all prayers, including Taraweeh, would be held under the SOPs formulated by the centre, in consultation with religious scholars. “Eid prayers will be held at open places and parks,” Shah said. “Prayers could be held twice at places with large number of people.” Sindh Education Minister Saeed Ghani urged the masses to offer prayers at open places instead of in smaller mosques. He said the provincial government had not allowed processions on Youm-e-Ali (RA). “Whatever restrictions we placed, they were placed after consultation with doctors,” Ghani said. There was no point of restricting prayers and keeping mosques closed, when all markets and industries had already been opened, according to the minister. He said religious clerics had cooperated a lot with the government and urged the masses to act upon the SOPs while offering prayers. The Sindh government had imposed a ban on congregational prayers on March 26. The measure was one of the many aimed at stemming the coronavirus spread. The provincial government had enforced on May 8 the ban on congregational prayers and disallowed all kind of business activities or traffic movement on roads from 12 noon to 3.30pm. A maximum of five people, mostly members of the mosque committees, were allowed to offer Jumma prayers in mosques, while the rest were asked to pray at home. According to the authorities, the provincial government had serious reservations on Prime Minister’s decision to ease lockdown in different phases. However, “in the larger interests of the unity in the country we shall act upon his decision of allowing businesses to open from May 9,” he said
