Three prayer leaders booked in Karachi for defying ban on Friday prayer

Two of them belong to mosques situated in Orangi Town while another one is Imam of Memon Masjid Kharadar

KARACHI: Police on Friday booked three prayer leaders in Karachi for violating the Sindh government's ban on congregational prayers and religious gathering.

On Thursday, the provincial authorities in an unprecedented move banned all religious gathering including Friday prayer until April 5 to stem the spread of coronavirus as part of the social distancing measures.

Law enforcement agencies were also ordered to enforce the government's directives and take the violators to task.

While majority offered prayer at their homes but in some areas of the metropolis people were seen defying the orders and scores flocked mosques.

Currently, Sindh has reported 442 cases of COVID-19 with majority of them are Iran-returned pilgrims. Authorities are taking aggressive measures as the number of home-grown cases have surged over the last few days in the province.



Some reached the mosques well before the time of Juma prayer, later joined by others. Though the police and Rangers personnel, deployed outside all the major mosques of the province, continued to implore the enraged, aggrieved and exasperated crowds to not to enter the mosques, these appeals did little to appease the faithfuls.

In a video that went viral on social media, Kharadar SHO Ahsan Zulfiqar can be seen behind the closed gates of the New Memon Masjid, appealing to the people to return home as the mosque is closed for congregations.

Scores defy ban on congregational prayer and flock to one of Karachi oldest mosque, New Memon Masjd.

Despite police and officials urging people to stay home and closing the mosque entrance, over a hundred people prayed on the premises.#CoronavirusPakistan

Video via WhatsApp pic.twitter.com/WJXU7T0UUi

— The Express Tribune (@etribune) March 27, 2020

Two cases were registered in Orangi Town against Imam Shahid of Jama Masjid Fatimatuz Zehra, Maulana Mumtaz Asharfi of Jama Masjid Aqsa and third case was registered against a prayer leader of Memon Masjid in Kharadar.