LAHORE, May 16: The Lahore High Court allowed a lawyer on Thursday to move a writ petition agitating his grievance that over Rs942 million were misappropriated from the Zakat Fund in 1994.

A writ petition filed by Advocate MD Tahir in 1993 on behalf of a cancer patient alleged that assistance from the Zakat Fund was no longer available to Inmol, Lahore, for needy patients.

The federal government said in its rejoinder a year later that Rs3.4 million were sanctioned to the Institute. The government, however, submitted that a big chunk of the fund — over Rs924 million — was diverted as relief to flood victims in 1994. The patient died in the meanwhile.

The lawyer challenged the government assertion that the Zakat Fund was diverted to flood victims. He claimed that it was instead spent on foreign tours and Umras at government expenses.

Justice Sair Ali, who heard the lawyer on Thursday, said no aid could be now extended to the patient but he could agitate the matter of misuse of the Zakat Fund by another petition. The lawyer took the advice.