An Act relating to the registration of seminaries throughout Sindh. PHOTO: AFP
FAISALABAD:
The Faisalabad district administration has launched a door-to-door survey of mosques and seminaries as part of a province-wide initiative to bring all religious institutions under a legal framework and general regulatory mechanism.
Official sources said the move followed directives from the Punjab Home Department, which issued detailed guidelines for compiling data on mosques, prayer leaders and affiliated seminaries in all 40 districts of the province.
Punjab is home to around 68,540 mosques, of which around 5,600 are located in Faisalabad district alone.
Sources said tax officials have been mobilized in all six tehsils of Faisalabad to collect information using a standard form issued by the provincial interior department.
The survey aims to document details such as mosque names, sectarian affiliations, year of establishment, land size, capacity and jurisdiction, as well as details of prayer leaders and mosque management committees.
The data form also includes information on the location of the mosque, jurisdiction of the police station, number of daily worshippers, Friday congregations, presence of ablution areas, toilets, residences for imams and any affiliated seminaries.
For each prayer leader, details such as name, father’s name, CNIC number, qualifications, date of birth, telephone number, period of service and permanent and temporary addresses are recorded.
The committees responsible for mosque affairs are also required to provide the names, CNICs and telephone numbers of their chairmen and general secretaries.
The Punjab government has ordered that the investigation be completed by Friday (today) without delay.
Additional Deputy Commissioner (General) Fazal Abbas told reporters that the aim of the probe was to curb the flow of illegal funds that could be used for terrorism and deter the spread of extremist ideologies.
“The Punjab government aims to ensure transparency and accountability in the functioning of all mosques and seminaries,” he said.
