ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: Federal Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Sardar Muhammad Yousaf Monday said 80 per cent of the mosques in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) were observing Nizam-e-Salat (uniform prayer timings).
While chairing Nizam-e-Salat Committee’s meeting at Ministry of Religious Affairs in Islamabad, Sardar Yousuf appreciated Ulema’s efforts to implement uniform prayer timings and urged to implement the same model in all major cities and districts of the country.
The minister said he himself had held meetings with chief ministers of four provinces for implementing uniform prayer timing by all school of thoughts in their respective provinces.
He said the provincial governments would notify a local timetable, at least at the district level into the matter.
He informed the committee that the following prayer timing was introduced especially for the ICT after consulting with met office and religious leaders of Ahle Hadith, Hanafi (both Deobandi and Barelvi) and Ahle Tashee – before notifying uniform prayer timings.
There are around 700 mosques in the federal capital territory and the managements of only a few mosques had not implemented the calendar of uniform prayer timings.
Earlier, Director General Auqaf Noor-ul-Islam briefed the committee about the implementation of Nizam-e-Salat in Islamabad.
Ulema and Mashaikh appreciated the government and assured the minister that soon remaining mosques would also implement Nizam-e-Salat.
Allama Abdul Rauf said government should establish sector-wise committees for the implementation of this system in letter and spirit.
Allama Abdul Rasheed said Nizam-e-Salat was also implemented in different countries of the world including Saudi Arabia, UAE, Iran, Turkey and Malaysia.
Ulema and Mashaikh of federal capital including Allama Abdul Rauf, Allama Muhammad Tariq, Allama Zameer Ahmed Sajid, Allama Jamil- ur-Rehman Farooqi, Allama Abdul Rasheed, Allama Muhammad Husain Tariq, Allama Haroon ur Rasheed, Sultan Mehmood, Muhammad Nadeem
Farooqi, Muhammad Tayyab Chaudhry, Abdul Karim, Mehboob ur Rehman, Muhammad Yousuf, Muhammad Abdul Rasheed, Muhammad Hanif, Allama Sajjad Hussain Naqvi, Secretary Khalid Masood and Additional Secretary Muhammad Aftab were present in the meeting.
