PAKISTAN cautiously celebrated Eid ul-Fitr with religious fervour on Thursday (13) amid the third wave of the coronavirus pandemic.
After initial confusion, the Central Ruet-i-Hilal Committee announced the sighting of the Shawwal moon in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and Sindh.
Prayers were held in open areas of mosques and Eidgahs across Pakistan, as president Arif Alvi and prime minister Imran Khan called for adherence to guidelines to avert a further spread of Covid-19.
Stressing compassion as the spirit of the festival, Khan urged the people to be cautious during the celebrations.
Opposition leaders also wished the people on the occasion. Pakistan People’s Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari who extended greetings to the nation, appealed to people to celebrate the festival with simplicity.
Special prayers were held for the people of Palestine and Kashmir.
Security was beefed up in several parts of the country, including capital Islamabad, to avoid any untoward incidents.
The festival will be celebrated in Bangladesh and most parts of India on Friday (14).
David Lammy
Seema Malhotra
Moments from the event
