LANDI KOTAL: Members of Zakat committee from Jamrud tehsil have demanded removal of Khyber Agency Zakat Council chairman Malik Zahir Shah and a probe into utilisation of Zakat funds.

Addressing a press conference at Jamrud Press Club on Thursday, Sarwar Khan, a spokesman for at least 22 local Zakat committees, accused the chairman of distributing ‘bogus’ cheques among the local committees, saying he had not yet opened a bank account.

“Photocopies of cheques were distributed among all the 87 local committees of Bara, Jamrud and Landi Kotal about three months ago, but the central zakat council has not yet opened any bank account,” he said while showing copies of what he called ‘bogus’ cheques to mediapersons.

He said that the central council had also pledged to provide Rs600,000 each to three hospitals in Landi Kotal, Bara and Jamrud for free treatment of poor and needy patients, but no such funds were released so far.

Mr Khan alleged that the sitting chairman had also failed to devise proper criteria for provision of free medicines to the needy patients of Khyber Agency at four designated hospitals of Peshawar, including Lady Reading Hospital, Hayatabad Medical Complex, Khyber Teaching Hospital and Irnum.

He said that the political administration had deposited sufficient amount with the said hospitals, but the chairman was yet to devise a criteria for needy patients and most of them returned empty-handed when they approach these hospitals for specialised treatment.

Sarwar Khan also claimed that non-deserving and non-local women were given sewing machines by the Fata social welfare department from the agency zakat funds in Jamrud on Wednesday.

He demanded of the additional chief secretary, Fata, and political agent to remove the Zakat council chairman and conduct an inquiry into the misuse of funds.

Published in Dawn, January 6th, 2017