The Supreme Court Tuesday issued notices to the Advocate Generals of all the four provinces and Islamabad, to inform how much was collected as "nazrana (offerings)" at various shrines, and where it was being spent. A three-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed, heard Human Rights case regarding collection of nazrana at shrines.
The CJP ordered the advocate generals to submit forensic audit report of shrines collection, and relevant bank accounts of the shrines.
Justice Gulzar remarked that money offered at the shrines was given in the way of Allah. This money should be used for the marriages of daughters of poor people, for health programmes such as provision of free medicine and medical facilities to the masses, and for setting up of orphanages.
He observed that in the Punjab, the nazarana at the shrines was being used for paying the salaries of the Auqaf employees.
He said that the Auqaf Department should make some other arrangement for the payment of their salaries, and shrines' collections should not be used for the payment of salaries.
Additional Advocate General Punjab Chaudhry Faisal Hussain informed that the nazrana money was used for the decoration of shrines.
However, Justice Ijazul Ahsan remarked that they were aware where the shrines' collection was being used as it was not spent on decorations.
The chief justice said that the Auqaf Department was receiving the shrines' collection.
He said that the people visiting the shrines gave alms and charity for the sake of Allah. The AAG Punjab said that the collection at the shrine was also used for dowry funds.
Justice Ijaz said that the state was the custodian of the collections at the shrines.
The chief justice remarked that the Auqaf Department considered the collections at the shrine as "Mann-o-Salwa".
The Auqaf officials should know what money they were spending on themselves.
The case was adjourned for two weeks.
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