August 11, 2007	Saturday	Rajab 26, 1428

ISLAMABAD, Aug 10: The government’s refusal to disclose the details of revenue generated at the famous Bari Imam shrine in the federal capital startled the opposition parliamentarians in the National Assembly here on Friday.

The opposition members lodged a protest when Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Ijazul Haq refused to reply to a question relating to the shrine’s income, saying that it was not under the control of his ministry.

Mr Haq said the shrine located at Nurpur village in the foothills of the Margallas fell in the domain of the Auqaf department that functioned under the interior ministry.

The opposition lawmakers recalled that the same question was deferred during the previous session when the interior ministry had not come up with a reply.

Ishrat Ashraf of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) had submitted a question asking the religious affairs minister to make public the details of revenue generation at the shrine of Sayyid Abdul Latif Shah, the patron saint of Potohar region commonly known as Hazrat Bari Imam, during the years 2003-04, 2004-05 and 2005-06.

She had also asked the minister to give details of the expenditure incurred on the shrine and the total number of “Khadmeen” presently working there.

Mr Haq said his ministry was not responsible for providing the information about the income of shrines situated in Islamabad.

According to him, the religious affairs ministry also wrote a letter to the Ministry of Interior on July 28 asking it to respond to the question. He opined that he could not interfere in the affairs of other ministries.

Liaquat Baloch of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) said the same question was deferred during the previous session and it seemed that the interior ministry was misguiding the National Assembly Secretariat.

He said the parliament’s lower house should take notice of the situation and call an explanation from the ministry.

Syed Nayyar Hussain Bokhari of the People’s Party Parliamentarians (PPP) said the affairs of the shrine were being run by a committee for the past 27 years. He alleged that the revenue generated at the shrine was not being utilised properly.

Mr Bokhari demanded that the matter should be referred to the concerned standing committee of the National Assembly.

Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr Sher Afgan endorsed the views of the religious affairs minister and said the shrine was situated in the capital territory and as such the interior ministry was answerable on the issue.

Deputy Speaker Sardar Mohammad Yaqoob, who was presiding over the session, said in the wake of the ministries’ reluctance to take the responsibility of the issue, he was referring it to the Cabinet Division with the directive to submit the reply to the house.