Clarification of regarding Azan issue during Blair visit

ISLAMABAD—District Administration on Tuesday clarified that no notification for ban on “Azan” was issued during visit of British Prime Minister Toney Blair at Faisal Mosque on November 19.
Citing the news items appeared in a section of press on 21st November the district administration in a press release issued here Tuesday said the visiting dignitary arrived at Faisal Mosque at 4:12 pm, and stayed till 5:40 pm whereas “Azan-e-Asr” was delivered at 3:45 pm and prayers offered at 3:50 pm much prior to arrival of the British Prime Minister. Moreover, the mosque management on its own initiative chose to offer the Azan-e-Asr without loudspeaker. This had nothing to do with the visit as mentioned earlier.
A clarification to this effect has also appeared from the side of Faisal Mosque management in “News” and “Nawa-e-Waqt” on 22 November. Whereby the same fact has been explained and the mosque management has further mentioned in their clarification that the Azan was recited and Asr prayers were offered by University teachers, officers, and students present on the occasion.
The management has further explained that the decision of not reciting the Azan on loudspeaker was their internal one and no advice on instruction was received from any government agency. Azan-e-Maghrib was delivered on loudspeaker at 5:05 pm. The visiting dignitary was conducting their dialogue within the premises at that time and according to management of Dawah Academy, the Brutish PM observed silence during Azan.—Agencies