SUKKUR: Several hundred members of Tablighee Jamat (preacher groups) comprising Pakistani and foreign nationals were transported from different areas of Sindh to Sukkur’s Yousuf Masjid -- which was declared a quarantine centre on Thursday (March 27) -- for screening and test for coronavirus on Sunday.

According to the local administration, 350 foreigners being part of several Tablighee groups were brought to the mosque serving as the local headquarters of Tablighee Jamat.

The foreigners are from Indonesia, Tunis, Nigeria, Afghanistan, Mal­aysia and some other countries.

With the fresh arrivals, the total number of people confined to the mosque has risen to 450, police and local administration officials said.

Buses-load of preachers hit Jamat’s heavily guarded headquarters on Saturday night

Personnel of security agencies have been deployed around the mosque to prevent inmates from leaving the mosque and unauthorised persons from entering it.

LARKANA: SSP Masood Bungash confirmed to Dawn that a group of 300 Tablighi Jamat members were transported from Larkana to Sukkur on Saturday night.

He said the step was taken to address the issue of overcrowding at a mosque located on Larkana-Qambar Road serving as the Jamat’s Larkana headquarters, which had already been declared a quarantine centre. Around 200 remaining people confined to this mosque had been quarantined, he added.

When asked if they were tested for the virus, he replied in affirmative, saying that they would again be tested at Sukkur’s quarantine centre.

A video showing shifting of the batch to Sukkur had gone viral on social media. The driver of the forward vehicle is seen telling policemen on the way that his van was carrying 50-55 persons and four other vans behind were carrying 25 persons each. They convoy was being escorted by a police mobile van.

Sukkur SSP Irfan Samo, when contacted for his comment, said he had received around 400 Tablighi Jamat members from Larkana and Qambar-Shahdadkot on Saturday night.

They were kept at a Tablighi Markaz located in the SITE area of Sukkur. The district health officer was asked to get their tests for coronavirus conducted, he said.

Published in Dawn, March 30th, 2020