Mosques, seminaries under scrutiny as Faisalabad begins govt survey

Revenue staff launches door-to-door data collection drive

FAISALABAD:

The district administration in Faisalabad has launched a door-to-door survey of mosques and seminaries as part of a province-wide initiative to bring all religious institutions under a legal framework and mainstream regulatory mechanism.

Official sources said the move follows directives from the Punjab Home Department, which has issued detailed guidelines for compiling data on mosques, prayer leaders, and affiliated seminaries across all 40 districts of the province.

Punjab is home to an estimated 68,540 mosques, with around 5,600 located in Faisalabad district alone.

Sources said revenue officials have been mobilised across all six tehsils of Faisalabad to collect information using a standard pro forma issued by the provincial Interior Department.

The survey seeks to document details such as mosque names, sectarian affiliations, year of establishment, land size, capacity, and jurisdiction, along with the particulars of prayer leaders and mosque management committees.

The data form also includes information about the mosque's location, police station jurisdiction, number of daily worshippers, Friday congregations, presence of ablution areas, toilets, residences for imams, and any affiliated seminaries.

For each prayer leader, details such as name, father's name, CNIC number, qualifications, date of birth, contact number, period of service and permanent and temporary addresses are being recorded.

Committees responsible for mosque affairs are also required to provide the names, CNICs, and contact numbers of their presidents and general secretaries.

The Punjab government has directed that the survey be completed by Friday (today) without delay.

Additional Deputy Commissioner (General) Fazal Abbas told reporters that the purpose of the survey is to curb the flow of illegal funds that could be used for terrorism and to discourage the spread of extremist ideologies.

"The Punjab government aims to ensure transparency and accountability in the operation of all mosques and seminaries," he said.