Devotees clash with police at shrine shut over Covid-19

KARACHI: The government deployed paramilitary troops Friday to a shrine closed due to coronavirus restrictions, after hundreds of pilgrims trying to get in clashed with police.

Police said the pilgrims broke open the main gate of the shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar, a 13th-century mystic Sufi saint, located in Sehwan.

The crowds attacked police and threw stones at night, police officer Mohammad Mushtaq said. Several policemen suffered minor injuries and investigations are ongoing.

Shrines across the country were closed recently as part of measures to help stem the spread of coronavirus. Pakistan on Saturday reported 4,723 new cases in the past 24 hours.

Pakistan has reported a total of 609,691 infection cases and 14,697 deaths from coronavirus since March year.