AJK president expresses gratitude to China for cooperation against coronavirus pandemic

MIRPUR (AJK): Mar 30 (APP):Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) President Sardar Masood Khan Monday expressed gratitude to Ulema and Mushaikh and the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) Azad Kashmir for their valuable guidance in the light of the Sharia, on measures to combat coronavirus.
In a video message released to the media on Monday, he said the government is repeatedly advising the people to remain in their homes and adopt precautionary measures because this is the sole way to stay safe from the pandemic and the survival and protection of all of us lies in it.
The president said being Muslims and followers of the religion of Islam; it is obligatory for us to ensure cleanliness in our daily life in the light of Islamic teachings.
“Five-time prayer is also aimed at our physical and spiritual purity, and today, the whole world is convinced about the importance of five-time prayer, ablution and bath,” he said adding that our Islamic lifestyle and the opinion of medical experts are the tool to root out COVID-19 pandemic.
The AJK president expressed gratitude to the Ulema, mushaikh and the Azad Kashmir Council of Islamic Ideology who, after interfaith consultation and consensus, had guided the people in the light of Shariah to eradicate COVID-19.
He said Zakat can be distributed among the deserving and needy people even before time, and this must be given to meet the immediate needs of the people at this critical juncture.
Sardar Masood Khan said the mosques would remain opened, and five-time prayer, adhan, aqamah and congregational prayers will continue but the number of faithful in the mosques can be restricted to prevent the spread of this infectious disease.
“Those suffering from COVID-19 or other diseases as well as children and the old people should not be allowed to offer prayers in the mosques, and only obligatory prayers should be offered while the Friday sermon should be brief and short,” he added.
He expressed the hope that the COVID-19 pandemic would be overcome with the help of China and other friendly countries, but for this, the masses must cooperate with the government and the law-enforcement agencies by staying at home, strictly following directives of government and guidelines provided by health experts.
China was extending forthright cooperation to Pakistan to deal with the situation erupted due to Coronavirus pandemic, for which we are thankful to the government and the people of China.
Similarly, he maintained that precautionary and preventive measures including Tayammam under the directives of medical experts should be adopted during funeral, and not over ten people should join the funeral prayers.
The AJK president said being a Muslim, it is obligatory for us at this juncture to save the precious lives from this pandemic by following the teachings of Shariah and directives of the physicians.