Clerics, preachers left to fend for themselves

Workers at religious institutions of all faiths are underpaid and facing the brunt of the inflationary wave

LAHORE:

Whenever inflation becomes unbearable, demands of an increase in salary for government employees and minimum wage for labourers see an upsurge but those who run places of worship feel that their remuneration is never talked about.

Whether it is an imam, pandit, or granthi the country lacks a law which stipulates a minimum wage for the services they offer with many having to rely on donations by private individuals to be able to get by during the month. However, mosques which come under the Auqaf Department or temples and Gurduwaras which are managed by Abandoned Waqf Property Board, all have preachers and other employees who get paid like governmental employees.

The Express Tribune learnt that for mosques under the provincial department, khatibs are paid according to the 18th scale; divisional khatib 17th scale; district khatib 16th scale; general khatib 12th scale; naib khatib imam 9th scale; and a muazzin is paid according to the 4th and 5th scale. Similarly, pandits and pujaris posted in temples and Head Granthis, Granthis and other staff in Gurudwaras are recruited by Abandoned Waqf Property Board and are paid the same salary as government employees.While those working for the government get by, other religious preachers or workers who are not in state run institutions are not as lucky.

For instance, Qari Abdur Rahman, who is a khateeb in Baghbanpura, Lahore, was paid a Rs 12,000 honorarium when he joined the mosque; now, 17 years later this remuneration stands at Rs 25,000. “Most of the time I have to rely on philanthropists to get by during the month. If the mosque administration did not pay for my bills, I would have a difficult time surviving,” the preacher said, Similarly, Pastor Shahid Meraj, informed that church staff, including bishops, fathers, priests, and pastors have been hit hard by the inflation. “Our community helps out with some basic necessities but otherwise us preachers have a tough life.” Resultantly, many of those who work at churches have to find another job or set up their own business to survive, as per the pastor. President of the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, Sardar Ameer Singh, concurring with Rahman and Meraj, said that Sikh preachers also have to rely on donations or a second job to get by.

“The offerings we collect are sometimes only enough to run Gurduwaras, therefore I work as a cloth merchant when I am not at the Gurdwara,” Ameer explained. Special Adviser to the Prime Minister (SAPM) for Inter-Religious Harmony, Hafiz Tahir Mahmood Ashrafi, when asked about the plight of clerics and preachers, conceded that their situation called for fixing a minimum wage. Ashrafi was of the view that workers in religious places must get at least “such an honorarium that their families can live in a good way and are not burdened by the current economic situation.” Chairman of Wafaq al-Madaris al-Razwiyyah, Dr Mufti Muhammad Karim Khan, concurring with the SAPM, said that in order to improve the economic situation of preachers, it was necessary to declare a minimum wage for their profession. “The salaries should be set at about Rs 30,000 to Rs 35,000 so that they can get by easily,” Dr Khan suggested while talking to The Express Tribune.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 21^st, 2022.