Zakat is one of the five pillars of Islam and its significance cannot be doubted, nor ignored. It goes without saying that the outbreak of COVID-19 being faced by countries globally calls for us to unite as a nation and come together help our fellow citizens.

Recently, the Zakat and Ushr Department has decided to give PKR 1.5 billion to almost 170,000 beneficiaries, which will be accessible through the Easypaisa money transfer service. Since the country is in a state of lockdown, I believe that this is indeed a great initiative for the underprivileged segment of our nation as this will undoubtedly assist them in running their lives.

The Zakat and Ushr Department aims to help government reduce extreme poverty in line with the injunctions of Islam and contributes towards poverty reduction through investing in the poor for both their subsistence and rehabilitation. Moreover, it is laudable that a national brand, Easypaisa, has extended its support in terms of its widespread network to help the government, thereby helping the citizens of Pakistan in these testing times.

Integration/adoption of such technologies in our government programmes can truly be the light at the end of a tunnel, enabling us to move towards an advanced future. This is also something which other firms can seek inspiration from.