Speakers at a conference organised under the auspices of Zakat and Ushr Department on the topic of ‘Importance and usefulness of Zakat system in the present era’, emphasised the need for implementation of the Islamic philosophy of Zakat in letter and spirit.
The conference, held at the auditorium of Services Institute for Medical Sciences (SIMS) Lahore, was presided over by Caretaker Minister for Zakat and Ushr Punjab Barrister Azfar Ali Nasir, while Caretaker Minister for Specialised Healthcare Dr Javed Akram and Education Minister Dr Mansoor Qadir attended the event as special guests. Secretary Zakat and Ushr Mian Abrar, Administrator Zakat Punjab Rana Sajjad Babar, Ulema Maulana Raghib Naimi, Maulana Yusuf Khan, Maulana Ramzan Sialvi and others were also present.
The speakers stressed that along with the government, the rich of society must come forward to help the deserving people.
Barrister Azfar Ali Nasir, in his speech, said that payment of Zakat was included in the five basic pillars of Islam. “During the month of holy Ramazan, we must help out the deserving people and follow Islamic teachings to create a welfare state,” said the minister. He said that payment of Zakat and its transparent use were both inseparable and equally important. “That is why all Zakat committees previously formed on political basis have been dissolved and now non-political administrators are supervising the process of Zakat distribution across Punjab,” he added. The minister said that during the last fiscal year, more than Rs 3.86 billion were spent from the Zakat fund on about 245,000 people, while this year due to higher collection of Zakat, Punjab received Rs 5.77 billion from the federal government. He said that Zakat funds would be released soon and its transparent distribution process would be ensured.
