ACCORDING to media reports, the Government has decided to pay a monthly honorarium to all prayer leaders (Imams) of Jamia mosques of Punjab, KP, Balochistan and Islamabad. Prime Minister Imran Khan has reportedly approved the proposal at the instance of Minister for Religious Affairs Pir Noorul Haq Qadri and implementation would begin once data is collected and procedure devised for the purpose.
Pakistan being an Islamic Republic, the teaching of the Holy Quran and the system of establishment of Salat (Prayer) is responsibility of the State but the successive governments did not move beyond introduction of teaching of Islamic Studies in formal educational institutions and the crucial task of imparting religious education was mainly left to the civil society. Credit must be given to all those who devoted their life to the cause of Islam in the face of numerous odds including economic/financial sufferings of their families. It is regrettable that thousands of people associated with mosques as Imams and Muezzins are leading a miserable life, devoid of basic necessities of life because of the meagre stipend they get from Mosque Committees or Trusts. Many of the mosques do not have accommodation and prayer leaders have to get houses on rent, which puts additional pressure on them and leads to compromising of the quality of their life in different ways. In this backdrop, the PTI Government deserves appreciation for implementing the idea of paying monthly stipend, which originally was conceived by the KP Government, in other provinces and Islamabad as well. The reports do not mention inclusion of Sindh province in the plan, which is not understandable as it would be discrimination if the bill is to be footed by the federal government for other provinces leaving Sindh prayer leaders aside. It is also not clear as to what the Government proposes to pay as monthly stipend but the amount should be preferably commensurate with Government teachers or at least the minimum wages that the authorities determine from time to time. The scheme should be lucrative enough to encourage duly qualified people to opt to serve as scholar/prayer leader in mosques. It would be in the fitness of things if Muezzens are also paid a monthly stipend as most of them not only make calls for prayers five times a day but are also responsible for upkeep of the mosques. It would be worthwhile if qualifications and criteria are fixed and services of Imams are hired against Basic Pay Scales with the same benefits and perks as are available to other government servants.
