PESHAWAR, Oct 27: NWFP Chief Minister Mohammad Akram Khan Durrani has expressed deep concern over the lack of punctuality in the saying of Zohr prayers by the government employees and has asked the heads of all the departments to ensure that they did so during the office timings.

In this connection, a letter circulated to all the provincial departments by the establishment and general administration department on Oct 16 had quoted the chief minister as expressing deep concern over the non-compliance of the MMA government’s directives with regard to the offering of congregational prayers at Zohr time.

The government, on May 31, had issued directives to the heads of all the line departments, asking them to make elaborate arrangements for the Zohr prayers at their respective departments in line with the provincial cabinet’s decision with regard to the Islamization of the province. It said that the directives be implemented “in letter and in spirit within 15 days positively.”

The same notification had also directed that all the departments concerned should observe a 30-minute break from 1pm to 1.30pm in order to enable all the employees and students in the educational institutions to say their Zohr prayers in congregation.

Besides, the departments had also been instructed to provide space for prayers and arrange for water and bathrooms on their premises for performing ablution.

To inculcate a sense of spirit and strengthen the faith of the staff, five minutes should be reserved for teaching the meaning of Quranic verses and Hadith after the prayers, read the notification. It was obligatory on all Muslims to mould their lives in accordance with the injunctions of the holy Quran and Sunnah, it added.

However, the letter issued recently said that after the passage of well over four months, the directives “are yet to be implemented in letter and in spirit”.

It quoted the CM as terming this situation “extremely sorrowful” that Salat was not being offered at the government offices punctually.

The chief minister has requested the heads of all the line departments to say the Zohr prayers themselves regularly and also persuade their subordinates to do so on a regular basis.

The letter said that in the wake of the Shariat Bill passed by the provincial assembly and recommendations of the Shariat Council, the departments concerned were required to implement the decision.