Fund-starved zakat bodies dissolve today

With the end of the tenures of elected chairmen and administrators, the operations of local zakat committees across Rawalpindi Division are likely to grind to a halt.

According to sources, this could mark the complete suspension of operations in all district and tehsil-level local zakat committees.

For the past three years, the committees have been functioning under administrators rather than elected officials.

Deputy commissioners acted as district-level administrators, while assistant commissioners oversaw tehsil committees.

In Rawalpindi district alone, administrators for 1,166 local zakat committees included government officials such as grade 16 teachers and officers from the Ministry of Local Government. However, with their second term expiring, the entire zakat department is now effectively paralysed.

Adding to the crisis, the Punjab government has not released zakat funds for the current fiscal year (2024-25) since July. This five-month funding freeze has crippled vital welfare programmes, including free medical treatments like kidney dialysis and eye surgeries, which were previously covered by zakat funds at government and major private hospitals.

Free medicines have also been discontinued.

More than 10,000 families in Rawalpindi district living below the poverty line have been left without financial assistance.

Monthly allowances for widows, aid for blind individuals, grants for families of leprosy patients, and dowry funds for marriages of impoverished girls have all been suspended. Scholarships for academically gifted children from underprivileged backgrounds are also on hold.

Widows, elderly citizens, orphans, and other needy individuals who regularly seek financial help from zakat committees now face disappointment. The Punjab government's ongoing economic crisis has left these vulnerable groups in increasingly dire straits.

Affected residents expressed their frustration and despair.

"For the past five to six months, we haven't received a single penny," said Sakeena Bibi, a widow. "Every time we visit, we're told the Punjab government hasn't released the funds. Previously, we received financial aid every three months, but now there's nothing."

Safdar Javed, another resident, shared his plight. "My father's dialysis has stopped because of the funding freeze. We're now selling jewelry to cover the cost," he said. Similarly, Nasir Mehmood, whose family includes two leprosy patients, lamented, "We relied on Zakat funds for financial assistance.