SAHIWAL: Anomalies have surfaced in the distribution of the Nigahban Ramazan Package in the district as six individuals, namely three expatriates and as many well-off people, in the Union Council 49 were found taking Rs10,000 each under the package launched for the needy.

The amount under the package has been disbursed to six individuals at Chak 5/11-L, raising questions about how local surveyors included the affluent individuals in the list of beneficiaries.

According to sources, out of the 332 beneficiaries from Chak 5/11-L, Naeem Sadiq, Muhammad Usman and Muhammad Haris are expatriates currently residing in Saudi Arabia. In three other cases, Shahbaz Sajid, Mureed Hussain and Raja Hyder Zaman (36501-5426040-5) are financially stable individuals who own homes and acres of agricultural land in the village. The sources disclosed that all six individuals received Rs10,000 each from the Nigahban Ramazan Package directly in their personal accounts.

Deputy Commissioner Shahid Mahmood explained that the final list was received from the Punjab government; however, the scrutiny was still ongoing. He assured that the district administration, along with the Local Government and Community Development Department, was vigilant and was removing ineligible individuals on reports of genuine complaints.

The DC added that the Ramazan package registration process was conducted online through a dedicated website by the Punjab government, with over 250,000 individuals initially registering in district Sahiwal. Following this, a scrutiny process was initiated, and around 94,000 beneficiaries were selected for payment. During the installment process, 6,000 individuals were removed from the list on complaints, including deaths, non-eligibility etc.

The officer said that 100 people did not accept the amount, saying they were well-off. Dawn learnt from sources that till date, 16 FIRs had been registered against those taking ‘commission’ from the beneficiaries in the Ramazan package.

Published in Dawn, March 18th, 2025