Why is the government allowing congregational prayers during Ramzan?

Pakistan continues to hang on as Covid-19 is wreaking havoc across the world. The pandemic has so far claimed nearly 200,000 lives, and has left countries like the United States (US), Italy, Spain and Iran shaken. Despite a weak economy and a healthcare system that has serious capacity constraints at the best of times, the fact that Pakistan has thus far managed to stay afloat speaks to the efficacy of the government’s timely interventions. While there were definitely some early hiccups, even the government’s harshest critics would agree that the response has been steadily improving. Currently, the effort is being planned, coordinated and executed through the National Coordination Committee (NCC) and the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC). By bringing together politicians from across the political spectrum, healthcare experts as well as the civilian and military leadership of the country, both these bodies have significantly improved the efficiency and alacrity of Pakistan’s Covid-19 response.

So far, the government has successfully balanced the often-competing objectives of preventing the spread of Covid-19 and keeping the economy from slumping. Unlike in India, there was no poorly planned or hastily announced lockdown that left hundreds of thousands (a lot of them potential carriers of the virus) thronging to bus and railway stations, only to eventually walk hundreds of miles across states. Through the Ehsaas programme the government has initiated the largest social protection programme in the history of the country, with a plan to disburse nearly a billion dollars to the most vulnerable segments of the society. Pakistan’s testing capacity has steadily increased leading to better contact tracing and isolation, which is allowing the country to transition towards a “smart lockdown” model.

However, despite these heartening developments, one must not lose sight of the fact Pakistan is only hanging on by a thread. The Global Health Security Index, a Johns Hopkins Centre for Health Security initiative that assesses countries in terms of their pandemic preparedness, ranks Pakistan at a dismal 105 out of 195 countries. Countries ranking far higher on the index have been devastated by the contagion over the last few weeks. Similarly, Pakistan still has only less than 5000 ventilators for a population of over 200 million. It will not take a lot to overwhelm a healthcare system that is manifestly fragile to begin with. It is in this context that the government’s decision to allow congregational prayers during Ramzan is particularly worrisome.

The decision was made after the government and the Ulema agreed upon a 20-point standard operating procedure (SOP). These twenty points seem practically impossible to implement even in the most disciplined of settings; in a country like ours there is absolutely no hope that these SOPs will be adhered to. Then why did the government allow such gatherings at tumultuous times like these? The reasoning provided by Prime Minister Imran Khan recently, that Pakistan is a “free nation” and Pakistanis therefore should not be forcibly stopped from performing their religious duties, was so flimsy and unconvincing that it barely deserves a confutation. Clearly, there is no such thing as absolute freedom, and the state here has a responsibility to safeguard the lives of millions of Pakistanis by preventing the spread of this deadly contagion.

The unsavoury truth is that the government has decided to surrender before the religious zeal of a loud minority. This decision to placate the Ulema might be well intentioned, since any social unrest at this time would push the country towards further turmoil, but it is certainly short sighted and will likely prove to be counterproductive. By allowing congregational prayers the government has opened an avenue for widespread dissemination of Covid-19, and therefore has put millions at risk. With an over-strained healthcare system and an anemic economy, Pakistan is only one short step away from the edge of the precipice. Extensive spreading of Covid-19 will cripple the healthcare system, crash the economy and jeopardise millions of lives. No government can hope to survive the resultant economic collapse and social unrest.

This capitulation of the state will also further strengthen the hold of this loud minority over our society, and will weaken the state. By ceding ground today, the government is creating a precedent where the threat of social unrest is used to arm-twist the state. It will only further embolden such elements and they will continue to use this template to influence decision making. Conversely, if the government is able to establish its writ at this time, it will send a clear message to all such elements that hope to take the state hostage based on their facility to mobilise a few thousand people.

It is therefore not only in the best interest of the country, but in the best interest of the government itself to revisit this decision. Allowing congregational prayers during Ramzan might appease the Ulema for a short while, but in the long term it will result in countless precious lives being lost and will lead to disastrous outcomes for the country’s economy and healthcare system.

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