MUZAFFARABAD, March 8: Out of total Rs440 million receipt of Zakat, some Rs220 million were distributed among the needy people through Zakat committees throughout the Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

This was told to AJK Prime Minister Sardar Sikandar Hayyat Khan during a meeting held in connection with the AJK Zakat Council arrangements regarding disbursement of Zakat at his office here on Friday.

The chairman of AJK Zakat Council briefed the AJK prime minister about the income of the council and total disbursement of funds to the deserving and needy people through the respective Zakat committees in the AJK.

Speaking on the occasion, Sardar Sikandar Hayat Khan directed the Zakat department authorities to ensure distribution of Zakat funds equally among the deserving people as no negligence in this regard would be tolerated.

He said the government had closed loopholes in the Zakat distribution system, saying that Zakat was being distributed as political bribe in the past.

The AJK prime minister said that practice now had been ended as these funds had been made available for the deserving, needy and disabled people.

The AJK premier said the government had reserved Rs30 million from these funds for kidney dialysis, heart and cancer patients, saying this would bring far-reaching impacts.—APP