Karachi: Pakistani Muslims continued to hold Eid prayers in tight congregations on Sunday despite government advice to worship while maintaining social distancing.
More than 1,000 people joined public prayers at an open field in Karachi as Muslims worldwide celebrate the three-day Eid al-Fitr at the end of the fasting month of Ramadan.
Pakistan has been in a lockdown to control the spread of the coronavirus since mid-March but Prime Minister Imran Khan refused to close mosques during Ramadan, despite pleas from doctors and a rising number of COVID-19 infections.
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As of early Sunday Pakistan has reported more than 54,000 cases and more than 1,100 deaths.
For the first time, Pakistan is celebrating Eid countrywide on the same day, ending an annual controversy over the moon sighting, with rival committees disagreeing over the holiday's start date.
In previous years, Pakistan’s Khyber Pukhtunkhwa province, which borders Afghanistan, celebrated Eid a day before the rest of the country, but on the same day as much of the rest of the Muslim world.
The rest of Pakistan followed the next day.
(AP)
