TOBA TEK SINGH, Nov 6: Extraordinary rush has been witnessed in various branches of scheduled banks during the last few days ahead of Ramazan.

Most of the people present in branches told this correspondent that they had come to draw their cash from saving accounts so that banks could not deduct Zakat on Ramazan 1 (Thursday).

Account holders said they were drawing the cash just for few days and they would again deposit their cash after the completion of deduction of zakat process.

A majority of them got call deposit receipts (CDR) which would directly be deposited in their accounts after Ramazan 1. Various account holders claimed they were not against the deduction of zakat, but they were doubtful about the fate of their deducted zakat because governments in the past had misused the money.

To their entire satisfaction, they said, they would themselves give zakat to the deserving people instead of giving to the government.

According to a source, millions of rupees were drawn from various bank branches by account holders during the last couple of days till Wednesday.

A bank manager confirmed that the cash drawing rush was in fact an attempt of the account holders to save their money from zakat deduction.

In spite of this, the banks have deducted millions of rupees of zakat because there are hundreds of account holders who prefer to pay zakat.

SIALKOT: A rush of account holders belonging to all walks of life was also seen in all scheduled and private banks in Sialkot and Narowal districts.

It was learnt that account holders on Wednesday drew billions of rupees from banks in Sialkot city, Cantonment, Daska, Pasrur, Bhopalwala, Sambrial, Uggoki, Badiana, Chawinda, Shakargarh, Zafarwal, Baddomalhi and Narowal.

Long queues were also witnessed outside branches after the closure of bank timings.

Senior bank officers expected redepositing of billions of rupees by account holders in the first week of Ramazan.