PUC urges people to spend Haj, Umrah savings on the poor

LAHORE : Pakistan Ulema Council and Darul Afta Pakistan have appealed to people who intend to perform Haj or Umra to spend their money and savings on labourers, daily wage earners and poor segments of society, who are facing worst circumstances on account of the prevailing coronavirus lockdown.

The clerics also appealed to affluent people of society to pay Zakat and Sadqat ahead of the month of Ramazan keeping in view of the situation in the country. In a joint statement, leadership of Pakistan Ulema Council and leading scholars of Darul Afta Pakistan, including Hafiz Tahir Ashrafi, Pir Naqeebur Rehman, Ziaullah Shah Bukhari, Muhammad Khan Leghari, Qari Javed Akhtar, Muhammad Hanif Bhatti, Allama Sajjad Naqvi, Ghulam Akbar Saqi, Abdul Haq Mujahid, Maulana Rafiq Jaami, Maulana Nauman Hashir, Qazi Matiullah Saeedi, Abdul Karim Nadeem, Maulana Asadullah Farooq, Mufti Umar Farooq, Maulana Hafizur Rehman, Allama Tahirul Hasssan, Qari Asmatullah Muavia, Maulana Aseedur Rehman, Azis Akbar Qasmi, Hussein Ahmed Darkhawsti, Maulana Zubair Abid and Maulana Yasir Alvi said intending pilgrims should disburse their money among poor and downtrodden segments of society who have no access to daily necessities and food.

With the blessings of Allah Almighty, the intending pilgrims will get the blessings of Allah Almighty by spending their money on humanity at this difficult time at the world. The clerics and religious scholars also underlined that in the prevailing situation, when the entire country was locked down because of the pandemic, intending pilgrims should spend their Hajj and Umrah savings for the poor and downtrodden segments of society who are facing worst challenges to feed their kids and themselves.

The exalted worship before Allah Almighty is to feed the hungry and take care of ill people, they said. With each passing day, the situation is worsening because of rising victims; therefore people should stay home and recite Ayat-e-Karima, Darood Sharif and the Holy Quran. The public should cooperate with local administration and without emergency should remain indoors, they added. The clerics also appealed to affluent people to come forward and help daily wage earners and laborours with basic necessities of life. They also appealed to philanthropists to assist the unemployed and poor families with basic necessities of life on their doorsteps.

APP adds: Punjab Information Minister Fayazal Hassan Chohan has said the provincial government is providing every possible facility to the masses during the coronavirus crisis.

In a message issued here on Saturday, he said that strict arrangements of food supply chain in the province were being ensured on the directions of Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar.

He said the Punjab government had established 25 sale points in the provincial capital where flour was available all the time.

"The Buzdar government has made arrangements of isolation for more than 25,000 patients," he said.

The minister asked the people to pray for control of the virus. He said that pensions and salaries of the Punjab government employees had been deposited to their accounts two days earlier.

Chohan said that sufficient number of corona testing kits were available in the hospitals of the province.

He urged the people to remain at home to avoid the coronavirus as social distance could protect them from the pandemic.