Pakistan cleric slams Punjab government’s plan to pay mosque imams

By our Staff Reporter Muhammad Shahzad
Lahore, Pakistan — Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has strongly criticized the Punjab government’s decision to provide monthly stipends to mosque imams, calling it an attempt to “buy the conscience” of religious scholars.

Speaking at an Ulema Convention in the southern city of Multan, Fazlur Rehman said Pakistan was founded in the name of Islam, and that millions of Muslims had sacrificed their lives for the creation of the country.

“The role of madrassas is being diminished. They say they want to support the ulema by giving them 25,000 rupees, but how do they intend to buy the conscience of the clergy?” he said.

The right-wing religious leader also criticized comparisons made with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, where imams are on state payrolls. He warned the government against using restrictive measures such as placing clerics under the Fourth Schedule, a legal list used to monitor individuals suspected of extremism.

Fazlur Rehman further condemned the recent legislation requiring registration of religious seminaries, describing it as an effort to control religious education.

Earlier this month, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz announced a plan to provide stipends to imams of approximately 65,000 mosques across the province, saying the move was meant to support low-income religious leaders.