| 
Introduction
Zakat is fourth important
religious obligation in Islam. Its injunction
has been described in the Holy Quran in more
than hundred places. From the very beginning
unti9l the era of Hazrat Umar Bin Abdul Aziz.
Zakat was collected and distributed under
the state patronage. Besides Islamic Philosophy
of economic equality (Adal), the modern economists
consider Zakat as the chief source of maintaining
economic health.
The Government of Pakistan introduced the
system of Zakat for the first time in the
country through an Ordinance, 1980. The objective
behind the system of Zakat is to assist the
needy, indigent and the poor preferably giving
financial assistance to widows and orphans.
As given in the laws, the system is channel
zed through dual arrangements i.e. Government
institutions and private voluntary Committees.
In the federal government, the Ministry of
Religious Affairs, Zaikat and Ushr is dealing
with the affairs of Zakat, making both collection
and releases to the provinces, while the Central
Zakat Council is an independent body for framing
rules, policies and allocating funds to the
provinces on the basis of their population.
|
