Govt Clarifies Rumors on Aitekaf Ban This Year

The Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Religious Harmony and the Middle East, Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi, has clarified that there is no ban on the observance Aitekaf in mosques across Pakistan.

He rebuffed the rumors about a ban on Aitekaf that are circulating on social media as he addressed a news conference in Islamabad.

Ashrafi said that instead of banning Aitkaf, the government will issue COVID-19 standard operating procedures (SOPs) to curtail the transmission of the coronavirus among those observing Aetikaf.

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The SAPM, who also chairs the Pakistan Ulema Council (PUC), declared this Friday as ‘Youm-e-Dua’ (Day of Prayer) to seek Allah’s repentance and forgiveness against the pandemic and urged religious scholars and prayer leaders to instruct people to adhere to the SOPs in the mosques.

Ashrafi, who is also a member of the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII), said that the council has urged the Ulema to follow the COVID-19 SOPs, and has instructed its followers to do the same to stay safe.

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He maintained stated that Pakistan’s relations with the Arab countries have improved over the last six months and added that the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) had recently adopted a resolution against Islamophobia owing to Pakistan’s efforts in this regard.