OKARA, Feb 12: At least 20,000 deserving people in Okara are deprived of zakat amounting to Rs75,000,000, which was to be disbursed in Ramzan through 981 local committees.

Each deserving person used to get Rs1,500 after every three months till District Zakat Committee chairman Mian Ghulam Ahmad Wattoo directed the banks to stop the payment of cheques without verification by him, committee member Chaudhry Mubarik Ali alleged.

He also said the chairman had given a schedule to hand over the cheques to the deserving at various spots in the city from Feb 11 to Feb 17, a procedure which, he said, was adopted in clear violation of the relevant ordinance.

By doing so, he further contended, the legal role of 981 local zakat committees had been finished altogether due to which thousands of poor people were suffering.

The affected people have demanded that the provincial higher-ups should intervene in the matter.

STAY: Meanwhile, the Lahore High Court has stayed functioning of the District Zakat Committee till Monday (tomorrow).

A writ petition was filed on behalf of 72 local zakat bodies by Advocate Syed Ali Ikram Gillani.

The petition had been filed against the procedure adopted by the DZC chairman. The court has summoned all the four members of the committee, including the chairman.