The crisis leaves thousands of widows, patients and poor families without financial support
RAWALPINDI:
Due to severe economic and financial crisis, Zakat Department in Rawalpindi has failed to provide financial assistance to deserving beneficiaries for the last 10 months. This year, Eid gifts were not distributed on Eidul Fitr and there are fears that no assistance will be given on Eidul Azha either.
According to sources, the government has not released a single penny to the Rawalpindi Zakat Council during this period. Due to official apathy and lack of interest, the structure of the Zakat Department has effectively collapsed across the Rawalpindi Division and the province. District Zakat Committee has not been properly constituted for the last three years and Rawalpindi currently has no District Chairman. At the union council level, all 1,166 local Zakat committees in the district have remained dissolved for three years and are run by administrators on a daily wage basis.
To support widows and other needy persons, the department has reportedly started seeking donations from philanthropists and traders. Funds collected in this way are used to help the most deserving families. But for almost a year, families of leprosy patients and visually impaired persons in the district have not received financial assistance.
The suspension of Zakat funds has also disrupted medical services at major public hospitals across the district, including surgeries, eye surgeries and kidney dialysis for Zakat-eligible patients. As a result, several critically ill patients have reportedly lost their lives. Educational scholarships for children of deserving families have also not been disbursed, forcing many students to drop out due to non-payment of fees.
Earlier, around 10,000 poor families, including widows and orphans, were receiving a monthly assistance of Rs.2,000 to Rs.3,000, which has now been completely stopped.
A widow, Razia Bibi, said she has been visiting the Zakat office for the past 10 months but is sent back each time with assurances of payment “next month.” She added that her travel expenses now exceed the amount she was supposed to receive, leaving her with no option but to beg to survive.
An official of Zakat Council Rawalpindi said that funds are expected to be released by Eidul Azha after which all outstanding dues will be cleared.
