Pakistan: Islamists Force Heatstroke Centres To Shutdown For Serving Water During Ramzan’s Fasting Hours

Radical Islamist outfits have forced heatstroke centres to shutdown in Pakistan’s Sukkur for serving water to the patients during Ramzan’s fasting hours, reports Dawn.

These treatment centres have been set up to aid people suffering from heatstrokes in Upper Sindh areas where maximum temperature here reaches around 40-47 degrees Celsius. The centres are mainly operated between 10 am to 5 pm.

After finding out that water was being served at these centres during Ramzan, some radical religious called it a violation of “Ehteram-i-Ramazan Ordinance” and threatened the operators to either shut them or “face the consequence”.

The contractors operating the centre decided to resist the threats as a result of which the radical organisations stormed one such centre in Ayub Goth and forced the operators to shut it down by firing in the air.

The officer in charge of the Municipal Water Works confirmed that the attackers belonged to a religious outfit. Five centres as a result have been shut down for the time being. The centres will only be reopened after authorities investigate the matter.