Worth over Rs200bn properties of Matrooka Waqf Imlak identified; income far below actual potential, PM told

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan was on Tuesday informed that properties worth over Rs. 200 billion of Matrooka Waqf Imlak including 15,619 units and 46,885 sub-units had been identified.

He was further informed that Matrooka Waqf Imlak was getting Rs 400 million per annum as income from its plazas, which was far below the actual potential.

This information was shared with the Prime Minister during a meeting he chaired here regarding the use of properties of Auqaf and Matrooka Waqf Imlak for the projects of public interest.

The meeting was attended by Minister for Religious Affairs Noor-ul-Haq Qadri, Provincial Punjab Minister for Auqaf Syed Saeed-ul-Hassan, Secretary Religious Affairs Muhammad Mushtaq Ahmad and other officers.

The Prime Minister was briefed by the Secretary Religious Affairs about the progress on the recovery of 700 Murabba (7,082 Hectares) of land including agricultural land in Nankana Sahib.

The meeting was also briefed about the progress on the posting of Chairman Matrooka Waqf Imlak and the establishment of Task Force on Matrooka Imlak as well as the Sikh Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee.

The Prime Minister directed to speed up process of the posting of Chairman Matrooka Waqf Imlak as well as the establishment of the Task Force.

During a briefing given to the Prime Minister about the properties of Punjab Auqaf Department as well as the measures being taken by the Auqaf Department, he was told that with 435 mosques and 544 mausoleums being run under arrangement of Punjab Auqaf Department, the department had 71,101 acres of property.

The meeting was also briefed about the income and expenditure of Auqaf Department.

The Prime Minister said that after the assessment of expenditures to be incurred on the repair and look-after of Mazars, Khanqahs, and Matrooka buildings, a comprehensive program should be formulated for the use of remaining money on public welfare projects.

He also directed to formulate a comprehensive strategy in consultation with the stakeholders to utilize the Matrooka Imlak for the purposes of health, education, shelter-homes and other public welfare projects.

The Prime Minister was briefed on various measures taken by the Provincial Minister for Auqaf including the launching of new website, reuse of water used for abulation, modernization of cash boxes at Khanqahs, elimination of fee for shoes at mosques, provision of modern equipments for the monitoring of field staff, promotion of religious tourism etc.

The Prime Minister was also briefed about the establishment of Al-Qadir University for the education of Sufism and Spiritualism.