Zakat funds not released by Centre: over 80,000 poor people in Sindh may not get Eid allowance

More than 80,000 poor people of Sindh would not receive the Eid allowance of provincial Zakat and Ushr department because the Centre has not released the provincial share from Federal Zakat Fund to Sindh, sources told Business Recorder. Despite passage of more than 15 days, the Federal government has not released the share to Sindh yet.
With devolution of Ministry of Zakat and Ushr from Federal to Provincial governments, Sindh had to collect Zakat directly from the companies and individuals in new Zakat year but the Sindh government could not do it due to obstacles created by the Centre, sources added.
They said that before the devolution, Federal government was authorised to collect zakat directly from the companies and individuals of all provinces. They said that soon after the devolution, Sindh had passed its own Sindh Zakat and Ushr Act 2011. Zakat and Ushr department had also established its separate Zakat fund regarding deposits and transfers of Zakat amount, sources said.
Owing to controversial situation, the Centre has not released the actual share from zakat fund to Sindh yet which has created unrest among more than 80,000 poor people of province who use to get Eid allowance on every Eid, sources said. The officials of federal government and Sindh Zakat and Ushr department had discussed this issue in detail during an official sitting held in Islamabad a few weeks back but the matter was not resolved, sources said.
After said meeting, the high-ups of Sindh government decided in principle that the matter of collection of Zakat would be raised in the meeting of Council of Common Interests (CCI), sources added. Prime Minister Yosuaf Raza Gilani, who is also chairman of CCI, has called the meeting of CCI on 25th August 2011 and this issue would be discussed in said meeting along with other many controversial issues between the provinces and the Federal government, sources said.
According to an official document obtained by Business Recorder, Sindh had received Rs 583.60 million from the federal government in FY2005-06, Rs 584.9 million in FY2006-07, Rs 696.0 million in FY 2007-08, Rs 643.9 million in FY2008-09 and Rs 737.08 million in 2009-10. Sources said that keeping in view such data, it could be said that Federal government would give more than Rs 800 million to Sindh from the Central Zakat pool.