27 Tableeghi Jamaat members test positive for coronavirus.

LAHORE/LAYYAH -- Some 27 members of Tableeghi Jamaat out of 35 screened at the Tableeghi Markaz in Raiwind tested positive for coronavirus on Sunday while another member of the religious outfit put in a quarantine in Layyah stabbed and injured a police officer in a bid to escape.

Around 1,200 people, including over 500 foreigners, were attending the five-day congregation before leaving for three-day, 40-day or four-month preaching missions. They are camped in an open space adjacent to the Markaz.

Earlier, Punjab government officials had requested the organisers to postpone the congregation in view of the virus threat, but they did not pay any heed to it. But when the organisers had a change of heart and stopped the congregation four days ago, the government-announced lockdown had come into effect with no transport and air services available to take them home.

The station house officer (SHO) was injured in Layyah when the Tableeghi Jamaat member attacked him with a knife in an attempt to escape. Later, the police and district administration approached the organisers and with their permission cordoned off the Markaz and no one was allowed to enter or leave the place for the last three days.

On Saturday, the Royal Thai Embassy in Islamabad, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, contacted the authorities to evacuate their 50 citizens from the Tableeghi Markaz. The health department conducted screening of the Thai citizens who tested negative for the virus. They were shifted to Islamabad from where they were flown to their country by a private jet.

Lahore Deputy Commissioner...