KARACHI, Sept 4: The Sindh zakat council failed to disburse the targeted amount of Rs2 billion among the needy in the last financial year. Sources in the provincial religious affairs and auqaf department told Dawn on Saturday that the central zakat council had allowed the Sindh zakat council to disburse the remaining amount till September.

They said a number of factors, mostly of political and administrative nature, were responsible for the delay in the disbursement of zakat in Sindh.

“The number of people who receive zakat funds, which were Rs600 million only a couple of years ago, has risen to 400,000 in Sindh. The provincial zakat department also has a computerized record of the recipients,” the sources said.

The federal ministry of religious affairs collects zakat from throughout Pakistan. Zakat funds are released to the provincial zakat councils on the basis of population. The provincial zakat councils then release funds to district zakat committees which then pass the zakat funds to local zakat councils.

The sources said that all over Sindh at least 8,000 local zakat councils determined who deserved to be given zakat.

The Sindh religious affairs and auqaf secretary is chief administrator zakat by virtue of his post. The provincial zakat council is headed by Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali of the Sindh High Court.

The Sindh High Court recently advised the governor to appoint a chief executive officer or secretary for the provincial zakat council as provided by the relevant ordinance.

The sources explained that in addition to disbursement of zakat, the religious affairs and auqaf department also gave Guzara allowance to the needy under a special rehabilitation package.

They said that funds were also sanctioned from the zakat fund for the marriage expenses of poor women. They added that while there was no provision for the grant of Qarz-i-Hasna, the religious affairs department gave scholarships to students, especially those acquiring technical education.

They said that religious madressahs and hospitals also received zakat funds from the provincial religious affairs and auqaf department.