Dr Bari, while giving an interview to journalist Shahzaib Khanzada on his show on Thursday, said that it was almost decided in the meeting of President Alvi and the top clerics of Pakistan on Saturday that people would be directed to offer Taraveeh prayers at home, on grounds that the said prayer is Sunnah not Farz [obligatory]. He said, “Mufti Taqi Usmani told me that during the meeting, he [Mufti Taqi] had requested Dr Arif Alvi to not allow Taraveeh congregational prayers in the mosques, but the president didn’t listen to the top cleric.”
The doctor said that even Chairman Ruet-e-Hilal Committee Mufti Muneeb-ur-Rehman expressed relaxation on the occasion and said that he can talk to his peers regarding ban on congregational Taraveeh payers.
On Saturday, President Arif Alvi held a meeting with the top clerics of the country to discuss social distancing regulations during Ramzan. It was decided that mosques would re-open in the holy month and the congregational Tarav
eeh prayers would be held under 20-point Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
The president on the occasion said that he was positive about the preventive measures and he believed that the mosque administrations would ensure the implementation of SOPs for their own safety and other worshippers.