At least one cop, a woman SHO [Station House Officer], sustained injuries after a clash between local police and worshippers erupted outside a mosque in Karachi on Friday.
According to the details, the clash took place outside Haqqani Masjid located in the Peerabad locality of the port city as people flocked to the mosque for Friday prayers despite a government ban and complete lockdown across the metropolis on account of the coronavirus pandemic.
A video available with The Current showed the enraged injured cop, namely Sharafat [as per her nameplate], shouting at the police personnel for arriving late, and sharing how the mob took an attempt on her life.
“They broke my glasses,” she can be heard as saying while also instructing her staff to initiate legal proceedings.
The video also showed hundreds of worshippers exiting the mosque.
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Earlier in the day, Sindh Minister for Information Nasir Hussain Shah said that the ban on congregational prayers across the province will be strictly followed for Friday prayers.
Shah requested that people pray at their homes and limit their movements outside from 12 pm to 3 pm in the afternoon. He also asked citizens to cooperate with law enforcement authorities in this regard.
“The purpose of the measures being adopted is to protect the people against the coronavirus,” he said, adding that the lockdown would actually make the lives of people safer in the long run.
“The restriction of the prayer congregations has been enforced to protect the lives of citizens,” Shah clarified. “The religious leaders have backed the efforts made by the Sindh government in this regard,” he added.
Sindh with 1,214 COVID-19 infections is trailing far behind Punjab where the number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus has reached 2,280 — highest in the country.
While the number of infections across Pakistan has reached 4,688 with at least 68 deaths, people still do not appear to be taking government-imposed lockdowns seriously.
