Wakf board hikes maulvi and imam salaries

The Punjab Wakf Board has increased the salaries of maulvis and imams. Addressing a press conference on Monday,Usman Rehmani,chairman of the Religious Affairs Committee of the board,said: “The salaries of maulvis and imams will be raised by Rs 2,000 per month. Nearly 70 permanent and 200 temporary maulvis and imams will be benefited from this decision.” The board has also raised the rents of its properties by 20 per cent and directed their estate officers to submit details of the properties under illegal occupation within a month. “We estimate that around 55 per cent of the board’s properties are under illegal possession,” said Rehmani. He added that the board would gain Rs 5 crore annually by increasing the rent of its properties by 20 per cent. “It has also been proposed that poor Muslim girls will be given Rs 11,000 at time of their marriage,on the lines of Shagun Scheme of the Punjab government. Besides,a pension of Rs 1,000 per month for poor widows Rs 10 lakh for repair of each Jama Masjid — there are about 30 of them in the state — have been proposed,” he said.