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