MUZAFFARABAD (Kashmir English): The chairmen of all the district Zakat and Ushr committees of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) have unanimously decided to resign in view of the serious situation on Thursday.
According to sources, despite repeated assurances by Prime Minister Faisal Mumtaz Rathore, the Zakat Department’s problems could not be resolved, and the system has almost become paralyzed.
It has been reported that former Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq transferred Rs1billion from the Zakat Department for the Social Protection Program during his tenure, after which not a single rupee could be paid to a single deserving orphan girl across the state in the last two years as a dowry fund, while the discretionary funds of the district chairmen were also abolished.
Moreover, the procedure for financial assistance with treatment has been made so complicated that deserving patients are left in the loop and are unable to receive treatment on time. It has become almost impossible to get money for treatment from the Zakat Department.
The district chairmen maintained that they are being forced to work voluntarily, which has made it extremely difficult to run the office system, while the funds transferred in the name of the social protection program have not benefited any deserving person.
The district chairmen have met Prime Minister Rathore several times to identify the problems, but due to a lack of practical progress, it has now been unanimously decided to resign, and all resignations will be sent to the Prime Minister in the next few days so that new appointments can be made.
Those who resigned include Chairman Mirpur District Khan Zafar, Chairman Kotli District Raja Zafarullah Khan, Chairman Sidhanoti District Sardar Asad Iqbal, Chairman Poonch District Sardar Afaq, Chairman Bagh District Sardar Niaz Ahmed, Chairman Muzaffarabad District Mir Fazal, Chairman Jhelum Valley District Chaudhry Hanif, Chairman Neelum District Malik Yaqoob, and Chairman Haveli District Tariq Mir.
They thanked the leadership for giving them the opportunity to fulfill their responsibilities and expressed their determination to remain available for the responsibilities given by the party in the future.
