KARACHI – Despite Zakat and Ushr having been devolved to the provinces under the 18th Constitutional Amendment, the federal government has refused to transfer at least Rs6.5 billion to the provinces, Pakistan Today has learnt.
Sources told Pakistan Today that the funds are currently available with the Ministry of Finance, but the federal authorities have turned down all efforts by the provinces on the pretexts of economic crisis and shortage of funds. Of the funds, Sindh stands to lose Rs 2.5billion, while Punjab loses some Rs 3 billion, Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa about Rs 500 million and Balochistan won’t get Rs 500 million.
Sources told Pakistan Today that the Sindh government had repeatedly approached the Finance Ministry to release the province’s share of Rs 2.5 billion, but their request fell on deaf ears. Before the devolution process stipulated by the 18th Amendment, Sindh received around Rs 800 million from the federal government in two instalments for distribution of Zakat.
With the provinces now being empowered to retain revenue and collection from different shrines, this amount is likely to swell to over Rs 3 billion, sources claimed. Sindh contributes a huge share of recoveries at the shrines of the province and in return it receives a little amount after several approaches. After the 18th Amendment, the provincial government would be empowered to keep all the recoveries with it and distribute it to the people to contain prevailing poverty and hunger, they added.
Millions of deserving people suffer as 18 posts of District Zakat Officer lying vacant since four months 200,000 rupees if DZOs want their jobs back: Sacked district Zakat officers (DZOs) of 18 districts in Sindh have allegedly been told to pay Rs200, 000 if they want their old jobs back, Pakistan Today has learnt. The DZOs of these 18 districts were removed from their positions some four months ago by the Services, General Administration & Coordination (SGA&C) Department, sources told Pakistan Today, with instructions to report back to the department.
Zakat Department officials protested the move, and issued verbal orders to those discharge to continue working. The sacked officials, however, refused to follow verbal instructions, sources narrated. “The Sindh Zakat and Ushr minister approached the chief secretary and the SGA&C Department, requesting them to allow the DZOs working on deputation basis until new candidates are selected through the public service commission. His request also fell upon deaf ears,” sources said.
The chief secretary forwarded a file of the case to Services Secretary Iqbal Durrani – the son-in-law of Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah – with a “please discuss” note. The file is with Durrani’s office since the past four months, sources said, but no tangible headway has been made in the case till now.
“Its not as if the file was trashed; agents of the services department were made active and sacked DZOs were asked to pay Rs 200,000 if they wanted their jobs back,” sources alleged.
