After 25 years, women attend congregational prayers at Peshawar’s historic mosque

Faithfuls express joy, pray for Pakistan’s progress and end to coronavirus outbreak

PESHAWAR: Women worshippers were allowed to attend congregational prayers at the city’s historic Sunehri Masjid (Golden Mosque) on Friday after a gap of around 25 years owing to improved security situation following multiple successful military operations in the region.

Tight security arrangements were made to thwart any untoward incident from happening on the occasion. A heavy contingent of women police in uniform and plainclothes was deployed in and outside the mosque.

Women expressed joy over the development and prayed for the country’s progress and prosperity and end to novel coronavirus outbreak, a mysterious virus which originated in a vet market of Hubei’s Wuhan city and has since then spread to more than 90 countries of the world, killing over 3,400 and infecting over 100,000, mostly in China thus far.

PHOTO: PPI

Until mid-1990s, women would offer Friday prayer in congregation at the mosque situated in the Peshawar cantonment but the practice was abandoned after terrorism badly hit the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa capital.

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Dozens of terrorist attacks took place near the mosque which led to its closure for women almost 25 years ago.

Now, with a substantial improvement in the security situation, the authorities have decided to resume the practice.

Last week, a banner was also put up outside the mosque carrying message that separate arrangements are made for women worshippers at the mosque.

The move is being praised as a good step to discourage the patriarchal nature of spaces like mosques and hujras from where women are excluded.

Pakistan was once known to the world as a terror-ridden country because of the frequent terror attacks that its people had to endure for more than a decade. In the past 10 years, however, incidents related to terrorism have significantly decreased.

In the decade following 2010, the Pakistan Army and other state institutions, under a successful strategy, ended the unrest and restored peace in the country.