Tableeghi Jamaat high-ups assured Punjab government of full support in countering the deadly coronavirus after number of positive cases emerged among the jamaat members in Punjab.

Tableeghi Jamaat is a Deobandi Sunni Muslims missionary movement that arranges twice a year millions of people congregations in Raiwind, Lahore.

Lahore District administration, Lahore Police chief and Punjab Rangers officials met with the Tableeghi Jamaat members on Wednesday to discuss the further course of action to stem the COVID-19 that has killed 28 people across Pakistan. In the meeting, Lahore Division Commissioner Saif Anjum, CCPO Lahore Zulfiqar Haider, DIG and Lahore Deputy Commissioner participated in the meeting.

The Tableeghi Jamaat Shura (council) and Punjab government had decided that Jamaat will appoint a focal person on the matter.

All the persons who are arriving in the Markaz being tested for COVID-19. The Shura assured the Punjab government that all the teams of the Jamaat across the province will cooperate and support the Punjab government measures to control the coronavirus outbreak.

Both sides expressed their satisfaction on the steps that are being taken against the virus.

Earlier, on Sunday some 27 members of Tableeghi Jamaat out of 35 screened at the Tableeghi Markaz in Raiwind tested positive for COVID-19. The missionary movement had already cancelled its congregation six days ago after various cases of positive coronavirus cases emerged in Islamabad and in Sindh.

The members of Jamaat showed resistance initially when in an incident a member of tableeghi jamaat attacked the Station House Officer in Layyah with a knife in an attempt to escape.

IT is pertinent to note that, Raiwind city is in compete lockdown after the cases emerged positives among the Tableeghi Jamaat memebers.

There are 740 confirmed coronavirus patients in Punjab and nine deaths have been reported so far, according to COVID-19.pk portal.

As per the Punjab Health Department statistics, there are 159 positive patients in Lahore. As per the Primary and Secondary Healthcare Spokesperson, so far 16061 samples of people have been sent to various laboratories in Punjab.