Tablighi Jamaat Tablighi Jamaat (, also translated as "propagation party" or "preaching party") is a transnational Deobandi Islamic Dawah, missionary movement that focuses on exhorting Muslims to be more religiously observant and encouraging fellow memb ...

religious congregation that took place in Lahore's

Raiwind Markaz Raiwind Markaz (in Punjabi مرکز رائےونڈ ) is a complex consisting of a main mosque, Islamic madrasa, and residential areas located in Raiwind city, near Lahore, Pakistan, and is the home of the Tablighi Jamaat in Pakistan. It attracts ...

in early March 2020 was a

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...

super-spreader A superspreading event (SSEV) is an event in which an infectious disease is spread much more than usual, while an unusually contagious organism infection, infected with a pathogen, disease is known as a superspreader. In the human-to-human transmi ...

event with more than 539 confirmed cases linked to the event being reported across the country. Science and Technology Minister

Fawad Chaudhry Fawad Ahmed Hussain Chaudhry (born 7 April 1970) is a Pakistani politician and a senior member of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, who was Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting, in office since 14 April 2021 to 10 April 2022. Previously ...

blamed the "stubbornness of the clergy" for the event having gone ahead despite the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

. According to a report by the Punjab Special Branch, approximately 70,000 to 80,000 members may have attended the congregation at the Raiwind Markaz on 10 March, with the majority being from various parts of Pakistan and 3,000 attendees from 40 foreign countries. Jamaat's management claimed 250,000 members have attended the congregation at the Raiwind Markaz. As of 8 April 2020, a total of 20,000 people who attended Tablighi

Ijtema Ijtema ( ar, اجتماع) is an Islamic congregation organised by Islamic organisations in association with millions of Muslims. It is an essential part of the Tablighi Jamaat around the world as it plays a significant role on the lives of Musli ...

have been quarantined and the Pakistan government is trying to track down the remaining attendees. As of 15 April 2020, over 60% of the COVID-19 cases in Pakistan have been linked to pilgrims returning from the Middle East and followers of Tablighi jamaat.

Background

Raiwind boasts the headquarters of

in Pakistan, an evangelical organisation that promotes proselytisation by all its members. According to scholar

Barbara Metcalf Barbara Daly Metcalf (born September 13, 1941) is a professor emeritus of history at the University of California, Davis. She is a specialist in the history of South Asia, especially the colonial period, and the history of the Muslim population ...

, the annual congregation at Raiwind attracts some two million and odd attendees. The Tablighi Jamaat congregations are popular with Muslims affiliated to the Deobandi movement in Pakistan. They also cuts across socio-economic classes, ranging from high-level politicians to the middle and lower classes. Ayesha Siddiqa
Like India, Pakistan has a Tablighi Jamaat Covid-19 problem too. But blame Imran Khan as well
The Print, 3 April 2020. The followers of Tablighi Jamaat are encouraged to proselytise in various parts of the country as well as abroad for up to four months. The annual congregation is where they gather to pray and obtain further training in proselytising. Scholar

Ayesha Siddiqa Ayesha Siddiqa ( ur, ), (born April 7, 1966), is a Pakistani political scientist, a political commentator and an author who serves as a research associate at the SOAS South Asia Institute. She previously served as the inaugural Pakistan Fellow ...

states that, teams of proselytisers are sent out even before the annual congregation. But, after the congregation, they are potentially dispatched to new locations.

Event

The congregation in 2020 took place at the

between 10 and 12 March and had 250,000 attendees according to Jamaat's management. The Punjab Special Branch, however, states that there were 70,000 to 80,000 people in the Raiwind Markaz and that they included some 3,000 attendees from 40 foreign countries. The event carried on despite the strong opposition and warnings by the Government of Punjab. But according to the police, it was cut short from six days to three days. On 2 April, Pakistan authorities placed the entire city of

Raiwind Raiwind ( Punjabi & ur, ) is a town (now promoted to Tehsil Head Quarter) located within union council 149 (Dholanwal) in Allama Iqbal Town of Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. The town serves as the headquarters of Tablighi Jamaat and hosts the annua ...

under quarantine, and shut down all general and medical stores after 40 Tablighi Jamaat participants were tested positive for COVID-19.

Spread

A cluster spread became apparent in the following days as cases traced back to the event were reported across the country. By 31 March, 143 infections and three deaths were reported. By 8 April, 539 infections were reported, of which 404 were in the Raiwind Markaz and 31 in

Hafizabad Hafizabad (Urdu and pa, ) is a city and capital of Hafizabad District located in Punjab, Pakistan. It is the 31st largest city of Pakistan. It is also a Tehsil. Ancient history Hafizabad is an old city in Punjab, Pakistan. In 327 BC, duri ...

. Approximately 50 participants of the Tablighi Jamaat, including five Nigerian women, were admitted to a quarantine centre in

Kasur Kasur (Urdu and pa, ; also romanized as Qasūr; from pluralized Arabic word ''Qasr'' meaning "palaces" or "forts") is a city to south of Lahore, in the Pakistani province of Punjab. The city serves as the headquarters of Kasur District. Kasu ...

while some 38 participants were also tested positive for COVID-19 in

Hyderabad Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India ...

. By 18 April, over 1,100 Tablighi Jamaat members in the Punjab Province have tested positive for COVID-19. Two Palestinians who attended the event tested positive for COVID-19 after returning to Gaza. They were placed under quarantine. They became the first confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Gaza. Five people from Kyrgyzstan who attended the congregation were also tested positive for COVID-19 in Islamabad.

Cases linked

Following are some of the positive cases from different parts of Pakistan.

Aftermath

Tablighi Jamaat received widespread criticism from for holding the congregation despite the warnings by authorities. Science and Technology Minister

blamed the "stubbornness of the clergy" that event had gone ahead despite the

. He held Jamaat responsible for spreading of COVID-19 in Pakistan. Jamaat also received criticism from other religious movements for failing to take steps to prevent contagion. Meanwhile,

Tariq Jamil Tariq Jamil ( ur, , Ṭāriq Jamīl; born 1 October 1953), is a Pakistani Islamic television preacher, religious writer, scholar, and a member of the Tablighi Jamaat. The recipient of the Pride of Performance award, Jamil has been named twice i ...

, a member of Tablighi Jamaat in his vague message said "God chooses who is infected and who is not, and God will save us." In

Layyah Layyah ( Saraiki and ur, ), previously spelled as Leiah, is a city in the Pakistan.

Government response

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising a ...

, 10,263 attendees of the Tablighi Jamaat event were quarantined in 36 districts of the province. Efforts are underway to trace thousands of other participants. The government of Sindh announced a quarantine of all the attendees of the event. Bara Kahu in

Islamabad Islamabad (; ur, , ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's ninth-most populous city, with a population of over 1.2 million people, and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital ...

has been quarantined as some returning attendees there tested positive for the COVID-19.

References

{{COVID-19 pandemic COVID-19 pandemic in Pakistan March 2020 events in Pakistan Tablighi Jamaat 2020s in Pakistan