PESHAWAR, June 17: The Peshawar High Court on Tuesday sought comments from the provincial government in a writ petition challenging the dissolution of zakat committees and councils in five districts.

A two-member bench comprising Justice Said Maroof Khan and Justice Ziauddin Khattak directed that three of the respondents -- the provincial secretary of zakat and ushr, provincial zakat council and administrator of zakat and ushr -- should furnish written comments in reply to the petition within a fortnight.

The petition is filed by Mohammad Tayyab, Maulana Fakhruddin, Shah Nowsh Khan, Mohammad Nisar and Azeemuddin, the removed chairmen of zakat committees from Malakand, Charssada, Swabi, Lower Dir and Mardan respectively.

Advocate Shaukat Ali appeared for the petitioners and contended that on the orders of Minister for Zakat and Ushr Zarshed Khan, the provincial zakat council had dissolved various district zakat councils and committees.

He contended that the government had no authority to dissolve those councils. He said that zakat committees and councils were constituted for specific time and they could not be dissolved prior to completion of tenure.

He argued that in an earlier writ petition filed against dissolution of the district zakat committees and council of Peshawar the court had sought comments.