Of charitable affairs: Opposition investigates Zakat minister

MPAs question distribution process

PESHAWAR: The second day of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly session also proved difficult for the treasury benches as the opposition continued its criticism of the government.

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) lawmaker from Upper Dir Sahibzada Sanaullah lashed out at Minister for Zakat, Auqaf and Religious Affairs Habibur Rahman in the question/answer session. The PPP man sought a clarification for limiting appointments of Zakat committee chairpersons to people allied with Jamaat-e-Islami (JI). Other opposition members jumped into the fray, chanting the traditional assembly war cry of “shame, shame”.

Sanaullah said committee chairmen must be financially stable to ensure they are not in need of Zakat funds themselves.

“In Upper Dir, 90% of Zakat committee chairs are entitled to get Zakat and the funds don’t even meet their requirements. How will they let the funds pass onto others?” Sanaullah questioned. He demanded an enquiry over appointments of Zakat committee chairmen and demanded the presentation of a report before the house.

“They are from Jamaat-e-Islami and the minister himself has been distributing Zakat cheques in Upper Dir,” he alleged.

Sanaullah added funds worth Rs500,000 were announced for religious seminaries, but remained limited to those associated with the JI. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s Arif Ahmedzai also criticised JI. He said the rules stated the committee chairman must be honest. He asked if the JI was the only party with honest people in it.

Rahman refuted all allegations and said he never distributed any Zakat cheques. He also went on to call Sanaullah a “liar”.

Rules of Zakat

“The Zakat fund is distributed in a very transparent manner and the provincial minister does not have the powers to distribute even a single rupee,” Rahman said.

Funds are distributed among the provinces and districts in accordance to the 1998 census which entitles people to get the amount every six months. Rahman explained 60% of the funds are for Zakat, 20% for jahaiz (dowry), 6% for religious seminaries and 12% for Guzara Allowance.

He said every entitled person gets Rs12,000 per annum and there are 3,996 Zakat committees working in the province. “I follow rules and I am not involved in a single rupee of corruption,” added Rahman.

Mining accident

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz lawmaker from Shangla, Rashad Khan, drew the lawmakers’ attention to hold a Fateha Khwani for the labourers who lost their lives in the Orakzai Agency mining accident. He raised the issue through a point of order. Rashad also demanded the house form a committee to keep a check on the working conditions of miners.

Minister for Mineral Development and Labour Anisa Zeb Tahirkheli replied the governor should order an enquiry to determine why labourers were working at the mine when it was raining.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 15^th, 2016.