Sindh High Court Rejects Plea to Permit Congregational Friday Prayers

The Sindh High Court (SHC) has rejected the appeal to grant congregational prayers to take place amidst the lockdown where the Sindh Government had placed a ban on all types of public gatherings to mitigate the spread of Coronavirus.

The petition had been filed by Arshad Riaz Mughal who pleaded to the provincial government to relax the lockdown rules for gathering at mosques for Friday prayers and filed a petition to the High Court challenging the decision of the Sindh government. The petition that was submitted stated that the decision of the government to restrict the number of worshippers in the Friday prayers to a maximum five was against religious freedom and the Islamic laws, and fundamental rights.

However, the Sindh Highcourt dismissed the plea and remarked that the decision of the government remains valid as the government was rightfully exercising its power to save human lives and is taking justified precautions to halt the spread of the COVID-19 and the court cannot interfere in this policy.

Furthermore, an advocate stated that the review of the law and procedure is in compliance with the Islamic injunctions as set forth in the Holy Quran and Sunnah under the jurisdiction of the Federal Shariat Court.

As of now, Pakistan has over 7000 Coronavirus cases out of which 137 have died.