By Ajmal Khan Yousafzai
ISLAMABAD: Speaker National Assembly Asad Qaiser has stressed upon the religious scholar and Ulema to play their role in creating harmony and awareness among their followers for countering the challenges posed by the deadly corona virus pandemic. The Speaker said that unity amongst all the religious sects was imperative in the current situation. He reiterated his stance that spread of corona virus pandemic should not be attributed to particular religious sect or group of people. He said this in a tele-video meeting held in Parliament House with Shia Ulema and scholars in Parliament House, today to discuss the repatriation of Zayreen.
Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Pir Noor ul Haq Qadri, Minister of State for SAFRON Sheryar Afridi and Religious Scholar Khanum Tayyiba Bokhari attended the meeting, while Religious Scholar Allama Shenshah Naqvi joined the meeting through tele-video link. The Representatives of Ministries of Health, Interior, Foreign Affairs and Aviation Division were present during the meeting.
The Speaker said that the world was facing immense challenges due to spread of corona virus and Pakistan was not an exception. He said that the virus had badly affected the health and livelihoods of people of Pakistan besides inflicting losses to the economy. He said that we have to face that challenge courageously and collectively and the support of Ulema and religious scholar was imperative in that regard. He said that Ulema and scholars should advise the masses to adopt precautionary measures so that they were safe from that virus. He said that social distancing, staying at home, avoid public gatherings and adoption of other measures advised by the M/o Health should be followed to keep them safe. The Speaker said that 15 Shabaan has religious significance for all sects of Islam, but due to the present threat, people should stay at home, pray to Allah Almighty for the well being of humanity and their fellow citizens and progress and prosperity of the Country.
Speaker Asad Qaiser further said that the government was cognizant of the problems being faced by zayreen stranded in Iran, Iraq and Syria and measures were being adopted to bring them back home safely. He assured that Parliament was alive and mindful of its responsibilities towards the people, therefore, a Committee had been constituted under Sheryar Afridi, Minister of State for SAFRON to get in touch with representatives of Tableeghi Jamaat and Alhe Taseeh to listen to their issues, access the number of stranded people in different countries and make arrangements to bring them back home safely. He asked the Alhe Taseeh Ulema to give details of Zareen stranded abroad to the Committee for making appropriate arrangement for bringing them back and subsequent health related issues. He asked them to apprise the Committee about any other issues regarding zareen who had been quarantined within the country.
Allama Shenshah Naqvi, thanked the Speaker for his initiative and informed that government functionaries had been very cooperative during this corona virus problem.
