LAHORE: On the directions of Punjab Minister for Minority Affairs Ijaz Alam Augustine, all churches and other worship places of minorities in the province will be closed till further orders from the provincial government.

Due to the rising number of coronavirus cases, all the bishops, pastors, pandits and other religious leaders have announced to close their worship places voluntarily.

The minister claimed that all minorities enjoyed complete religious freedom during the incumbent government’s tenure. He said the Punjab government was fully aware of its responsibilities and utilised all available resources to secure the nation. But it was a collective responsibility of all Pakistanis to trust the government and, while it may be painful not to attend religious activities, it was a wise decision as a nation, he added.

He further hoped that Pakistan would overcome the crisis soon as China, but everyone had to be patient and trust the government in its fight against the virus.

Published in Dawn, March 24th, 2020