PESHAWAR:The religious leaders from different religions and sects here on Wednesday highly appreciated the government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for allocating and releasing Rs 620 million honorarium for over 20,000 Imams and 293 leaders of other religions in the province.
This year, honorariums worth Rs2.5 billion would be distributed among imams and other religious leaders including priests, pandits, and Kalashi Qazis.
Right now there were 293 registered religious leaders of minorities and after inclusion of religious leaders of merged districts, this would increase to 350, revealed the official documents.
The religious leaders said that it was a very welcoming and encouraging step by the government and acknowledgment of the pivotal role of them in the society.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Khateeb Maulana Tayyab while expressing gratitude to the provincial government said that it was the first government in KP who was thinking and working for the welfare of the Ulemas and religious leaders of other religions.
He said the timely release of the amount allocated for the purpose demonstrated the commitment of the government that it believed in practically work rather in mere slogans.
Maulana Sanaullah, Khateeb Jamia Mosque Mian Shah Fazl said that the Chief Minister Mehmood Khan very generously allocated the amount for the welfare of Ulemas and hoped that this initiative would continue in the future with more allocation of funds.
He criticized the past government for not paying attention to the miseries of the poor Ulemas and religious leaders and said that PTI government has set a new precedent.
Rowinder Singh Member Sikh Community, Gurdwara Bhai Biba Singh, Hindu religious leader Haroon Saryab Diyal and Bishop Humphrey Sarfaraz Peters, Bishop Diocese of Peshawar also appreciated the Chief Minister KP Mehmood Khan and KP government for also considering the minorities religious leaders for payment of the honorarium.
They said that the initiative gave a sense of pride and equality to minorities that they were being treated equally in Pakistan especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
They said the support program of KP government was a good initiative and several families would be benefited from it.
It is pertinent to mention here that on the first day of the fiscal year 2021-22, the provincial government announced the three-month stipend for 20,000 imams and 293 leaders of other religions.
The project was first conceived before the 2018 General Election when data of around 58,000 ulemas in the country was collected on the orders of then chief minister of PIT Pervez Khattak. It was, however, decided that the stipend would be given to imams of the mosques where Friday prayers are offered regularly.