LAHORE, July 7: The Senate Standing Committee on Religious Affairs will recommend to the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) to identify Zakat deductible assets to overcome the expected shortfall of Rs5.5 billion in this regard.

The committee met with its chairman Maulana Samiul Haq at Agriculture House here on Saturday.

Senators Afia Zia, Kalsoom Perveen, Dr Khaliq Pirzada, Maulvi Agha Muhammad, Dr Khalid Ranjha, Muhammad Abbas Komaili, Punjab Zakat and Ushr Minister Khadim Husain Wattoo, Federal Religious Affairs Secretary Vakil Ahmed Khan, Punjab Zakat and Ushr Secretary Tauqir Ahmad Faiq and other officers concerned were also present.

Vakil Ahmed told the meeting that the ministry had been receiving around Rs4 billion for the last four years but distributing Rs9.5 billion every year.

About the additional Rs5.5 billion amount, he said the ministry had been utilising Rs22 billion grant that it had under the Zakat head when the present government took over, and now the funds had been spent.

He warned that now the government had no option except to expand the Zakat collection mechanism, citing that currently the collection is made through savings and financial instruments only.

He said the CII should identify the assets that could be subjected to deduction of Zakat.

The Senate committee fully endorsed the suggestion, citing that non-expansion of Zakat collection would deprive many needy people of this facility.

They were also agreed to recommend increase in `Guzara Allowance’ under Zakat from Rs500 to at least Rs1,500.

The committee also stressed the need for constitution of Central Zakat Council at the earliest, as the ministry had already forwarded the nominees of the council’s chairman and members to President Gen Pervez Musharraf for approval.

They also recommended to amend the Zakat rule of nominating serving or retired judges as chairmen of central and provincial zakat councils.

Senator Dr Khalid Ranjha observed, “A judge cannot run the Zakat council effectively and we should also trust other people of society to nominate them as chairmen of these councils.”

The senators also conceded the Punjab Zakat Department’s suggestion of increasing the salaries of Zakat-paid staff and bringing their service structure on a par with other government servants.

Earlier in his presentation, Punjab Zakat Secretary Tauqir Ahmad Faiq said 35 district Zakat committees and 24,851 local committees were functioning well in Punjab.

Giving a detail of the rate of Zakat distribution under different heads, he said the department used to give `Guzara Allowance’ of Rs500 per month which is 60 per cent of the total Zakat grant, 4 per cent at Rs10,000 (one-time) on marriage of poor girls, 4 per cent at Rs5,000 (one-time) under old rehabilitation package, 6 per cent on health, 18 per cent on education stipend and 8 per cent on seminaries. —APP