Sensitive, complicated: Indecision delays transfer of mosques’ administrative control
Parliamentary remains indecisive over the issue.
ISLAMABAD:
A parliamentary panel on Tuesday remained indecisive on the issue of administrative control of the mosques and the criteria for construction of new mosques in the capital city.
The panel, headed by Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazlur Rehman (JUI-F) Senator Talha Mahmood, termed the issue as sensitive. Media persons were not allowed in the initial proceedings of the meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Interior. The committee also discussed construction of illegal mosques, seminaries and shrines in the capital.
A document of General Ziaul Haq’s era was produced before the parliamentary body about the affairs of the mosques in the city.
In the file, the former military dictator had issued directions for a better administrative control of the mosques and ordered construction of seven new mosques in the capital city including restructuring of the Lal Mosque in 1981.
The same Lal Mosque was completely destroyed in a military operation by General Musharraf in 2007. The document also revealed that CDA chairman and head of Islamabad administration were bound to submit periodic reports on the administrative control of the mosques specially the restructuring and beautification of Lal Mosque so that large congregations could be held and visiting Muslim dignitaries could be taken there for their prayers. The document shows that there were only 85 mosques in Islamabad back in 1981.
Senator Talha, when approached by The Express Tribune, said, “We could not reach a consensus on the matter. There are a few things which we could not figure out.” Responding to another question, he said, “We have not erased this issue from our meeting agenda and we would discuss it in the future too.”
However, an official who was part of the meeting said that the Islamabad administration officials told the committee that at present there are some 89 mosques in the city under the control of Auqaf Directorate, while 161 mosques are being administered directly by the community. “Out of the 89 mosques, 42 belong to the JUI-F backed Deobandi school of thought,” he said.
There are 571 mosques located in the rural area of Islamabad, the committee was told. Auqaf Directorate is also responsible to control the affairs of five shrines of the capital city.
It was also told that the community is managing the mosques smoothly but the administrative control of the Auqaf-run mosques is weak.
In his briefing, Chief Commissioner Islamabad Tariq Mahmood Pirzada proposed that the Auqaf Directorate of ICT along with its administration should be transferred to religious ministry.
He said that the ministry would be in better position to perform the job.
The finance ministry was reluctant to release the funds for the now devolved Auqaf Directorate, the committee was told. Increase in the charges of utility bills and misuse of the funds by imams of the mosques were other factors.
Currently 89 mosques of the capital owe Rs15 million in gas and electricity dues.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 26th, 2011.
A parliamentary panel on Tuesday remained indecisive on the issue of administrative control of the mosques and the criteria for construction of new mosques in the capital city.
The panel, headed by Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazlur Rehman (JUI-F) Senator Talha Mahmood, termed the issue as sensitive. Media persons were not allowed in the initial proceedings of the meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Interior. The committee also discussed construction of illegal mosques, seminaries and shrines in the capital.
A document of General Ziaul Haq’s era was produced before the parliamentary body about the affairs of the mosques in the city.
In the file, the former military dictator had issued directions for a better administrative control of the mosques and ordered construction of seven new mosques in the capital city including restructuring of the Lal Mosque in 1981.
The same Lal Mosque was completely destroyed in a military operation by General Musharraf in 2007. The document also revealed that CDA chairman and head of Islamabad administration were bound to submit periodic reports on the administrative control of the mosques specially the restructuring and beautification of Lal Mosque so that large congregations could be held and visiting Muslim dignitaries could be taken there for their prayers. The document shows that there were only 85 mosques in Islamabad back in 1981.
Senator Talha, when approached by The Express Tribune, said, “We could not reach a consensus on the matter. There are a few things which we could not figure out.” Responding to another question, he said, “We have not erased this issue from our meeting agenda and we would discuss it in the future too.”
However, an official who was part of the meeting said that the Islamabad administration officials told the committee that at present there are some 89 mosques in the city under the control of Auqaf Directorate, while 161 mosques are being administered directly by the community. “Out of the 89 mosques, 42 belong to the JUI-F backed Deobandi school of thought,” he said.
There are 571 mosques located in the rural area of Islamabad, the committee was told. Auqaf Directorate is also responsible to control the affairs of five shrines of the capital city.
It was also told that the community is managing the mosques smoothly but the administrative control of the Auqaf-run mosques is weak.
In his briefing, Chief Commissioner Islamabad Tariq Mahmood Pirzada proposed that the Auqaf Directorate of ICT along with its administration should be transferred to religious ministry.
He said that the ministry would be in better position to perform the job.
The finance ministry was reluctant to release the funds for the now devolved Auqaf Directorate, the committee was told. Increase in the charges of utility bills and misuse of the funds by imams of the mosques were other factors.
Currently 89 mosques of the capital owe Rs15 million in gas and electricity dues.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 26th, 2011.