There are no two opinions that Pakistan is one of the most charitable countries in the world, and when it comes to giving, everybody gives to the poor in the shape of Zakat, charity and in-kind donations.
Prime Minister’s Focal Person on Shelter Homes Naseem ur Rehman called this spirit a major driving force in running the affairs of ‘Panahgahs’ (shelte homes) that have served around 150,000 poor people to this day by providing nutritious food and night stay in neat and clean settings.
Credit for the ‘Panahgahs’ programme goes to Prime Minister Imran Khan as he was the first leader in the country’s history who has taken multiple initiatives for improving living standards of the downtrodden segments of the society.
Naseem-ur-Rehman, in an exclusive talk with APP said that there were around 93 dedicated places and a large number of Langar Khanas (food centers) across the country, where the poor people including women, daily wagers and old citizens were being offered free meal two times a day and night stay.
He said Rs 300 was being spent on each dweller every day, helping the poor people, especially migrant workers to save Rs 6,000 per month that obviously provided him an opportunity to directly spend the hard earned money on his family welfare.
Citing the example of the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad’s ‘Panahgahs’, he said 600 people were getting food and shelter at each shelter home, which manifested PM Imran Khan’s vision of transforming the country into Madina-like state where all the citizens irrespective of their caste, religion, race and social status were treated equally.—APP
