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February 16, 2009	Monday	Safar 20, 1430

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PESHAWAR, Feb 15: Distribution of Zakat funds among the deserving people of Federally Administered Tribal Area (Fata) had been stalled for the last two years as the authorities concerned did not approve Scheduled New Expenditure (SNE), sources said.The president had extended Zakat and Usher Ordinance, 1980 to the tribal areas in August 2006. Following the extension of the ordinance Fata Secretariat had set up a 12-member Fata Zakat Council on the recommendation of the NWFP governor. A former chief secretary has been heading the council. Zakat committees in all seven tribal regions have been set up.

Officials said that federal government had released Rs50 million for the first quarter from Zakat fund for distribution among the deserving people of Fata, but the amount could not be distributed due to non-approval of SNE. Zakat fund for the second quarter of the current financial year had been withheld.

“We have been asking Federal Ministry of State and Frontier Regions and Finance Division in Islamabad to approve SNE, but in vain,” said an official of the Fata Secretariat. He said that delay in approval of the SNE was depriving the poor people of Zakat money desperately needed by them.

The secretariat, official said, had initially sought 125 posts of different grades for the establishment of Zakat and Usher department to run it effectively. According to a proposal submitted to finance division in 2007, the secretariat had requested for these posts.

The Finance Division had asked the secretariat to reduce the number of posts to 70, but despite reducing number of vacancies SNE had not approved so far. Owing to not approving the SNE the federal government has now asked the secretariat to surrender Rs50 million, which has not been utilised.

Officials said that if Finance Division further delayed approval of the SNE the secretariat would surrender the amount to the federal government. —Bureau Report