TV footage showed dozens of people chasing two police vehicles and pelting them with stones as an officer fired in the air to disperse the crowd. Health experts have warned an epidemic in South Asia, home to a fifth of the world's population, could easily overwhelm already weak public health systems in the region. But Muslim-majority Pakistan and Bangladesh, and India, home to the world's largest Muslim minority, have struggled to persuade conservative religious groups to maintain social distancing. "In the greater interest of saving lives, a decision to ban the prayer congregations at mosques has been taken," said Syed Nasir Hussain Shah, Sindh's minister for local bodies and information. Pakistan has so far reported 2,458 coronavirus infections, fuelled by a jump in cases related to members of the Tablighi Jamaat, an orthodox Muslim proselytizing group.

Source: Dhaka Tribune April 04, 2020 14:15 UTC