Punjab requests Centre to prepone Zakat deduction

The federation is in charge of zakat collection as per the decision taken by the Council of Common Interests in 2012

LAHORE: The Punjab government has revealed that the provincial cabinet has decided to approach the federal government for deduction and consequent disbursement of Zakat one month in advance.

This was stated in a report submitted before the Lahore High Court’s (LHC) full bench headed by Chief Justice Muhammad Qasim Khan while hearing petitions against inadequate measures at the government’s quarantine centres.

The document was prepared following the queries of the full bench pertaining to the measures undertaken by the government so far. They had asked if there was a legal way to prepone Zakat deduction to deal with the on-going medical crisis in the country.



“The Zakat and Ushr department has intimated that in the wake of the 18th amendment in the constitution, the subject of Zakat was devolved to the provinces. However, the collection of Zakat is still made by the federal government as per the decision of the Council of Common Interests (CCI) taken during its meeting held on July 27, 2012 and which was subsequently extended,” the report further read.

The alms collection is undertaken by the federal government as per the Zakat and Ushr Ordinance 1980.

The issue of preponement had been discussed in a meeting of the Punjab cabinet on March 24. The cabinet then decided to approach the federal government for deduction and consequent disbursement of Zakat one month prior to the set date.

To another full bench’s query on what measures had been taken to deal with the current situation, the report stated that Punjab Employees Social Security Institution (PESSI) had established isolation wards in 15 hospitals with a total of 308 beds and 63 quarantine rooms.

Tenders have been floated for the purchase of surgical masks and preventive kits amounting to Rs15.9 million and procurement of electro-medical equipment including 26 ventilators worth Rs968.86 million is being undertaken.

It was also noted that the process of additional medicine procurement at a cost of Rs451.47 million is also in progress.

Moreover, the labour department has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with specialized healthcare department under which all PESSI hospitals and specialized healthcare department would collaborate to combat the coronavirus with features like ‘diagnostic facilities, protective gear, ventilators, designated isolation wards and free medication for admitted patients’.



To a full bench’s query whether government tried to locate low-income groups, needy and poor persons to whom the donation and essential commodities were to be supplied, the government in its report claimed that all divisional commissioners have been directed to retrieve lists of workmen and daily wagers from the labour department, verify their financial position through patwaris, revenue staff or other means like their utility bills and distribute food hampers to mitigate their financial miseries with the help of local philanthropists.

It was also demanded that the stores of deputy commissioner offices should be replenished with essential food items to the likes of flood-days emergency arrangements.

To another query of the full bench, the government responded that the Punjab government has released Rs10.5 billion to the primary and secondary healthcare department, the specialized healthcare department and the Punjab Disaster Management Authority to make necessary arrangements to fight the pandemic through preventive methods and curative care.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 28^th, 2020.