Lahore: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has announced that the 'Chief Minister Punjab Honorarium' for mosque imams will be disbursed from next month. Addressing a card distribution ceremony in Lahore, she said each imam of around 70,000 registered mosques will receive a monthly honorarium of Rs25,000 through the cards. The initiative carries an annual cost of approximately Rs20 billion.

According to Radio Pakistan, the Chief Minister added that bank accounts for the imams have already been opened at the Bank of Punjab. She further noted that Punjab has over 80,000 mosques of all sects, with nearly 70,000 registration forms received so far.

Maryam Nawaz Sharif highlighted the vital role of mosque imams in resolving social and religious matters and emphasized the government's commitment to supporting them.