- Punjab CM chairs key meeting on interfaith harmony, community participation, direct early disbursement of stipends to Imams
- Auqaf mosques to be run under new public trust model for transparency, digital mapping of 56,000 mosques, 20,863 seminaries completed
LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Tuesday said the state, religious scholars, and community elders were united in their resolve to uphold peace, interfaith harmony, and religious tolerance across the province, directing the establishment of more effective mosque management committees comprising respected local notables.
Chairing an important meeting of all relevant departments, the chief minister said a “new era of unity, brotherhood, and community participation” had begun under the mosques administered by the Punjab Auqaf Department.
Officials briefed the meeting that the provincial government had transformed mosque administration into a public trust model, aimed at ensuring transparency and greater involvement of local communities. Orders had been issued for the immediate disbursement of stipends to mosque Imams, she was informed.
Authorities apprised the chief minister that the registration process for Imams was in its final stages. Special counters have been set up in every tehsil office under the supervision of Assistant Commissioners to facilitate swift registration, allowing Imams to submit stipend applications in both manual and digital formats. Disbursements are expected to begin within the next few weeks, officials added.
For the first time in Punjab’s history, officials said, a complete digital mapping and database of religious institutions had been completed, covering the data of 20,863 seminaries and the geo-tagging of 56,000 mosques across the province. The information has been securely compiled in a transparent digital database.
The meeting was informed that currently 284 mosques fall under the Auqaf Department’s supervision, while 47 are managed independently, and the government is considering increasing stipends for Imams in recognition of their religious and social services.
Officials also briefed that, in efforts to uphold the writ of the state, authorities had arrested 64 individuals for renting properties to Afghan nationals and registered cases against three factory owners for maintaining business ties with illegally residing Afghan citizens.
More than 45,000 locations have been inspected across Punjab to identify and act against illegal residents, the officials added.
