ISLAMABAD: Pakistanis are paying more than £1.7 billion ($2.19 billion) in zakat annually, with the vast majority of recipients being women, according to a study released this week by researchers from the UK-based International Center for Tax and Development (ICTD) and Lahore University of Management Sciences.
Zakat is a form of obligatory almsgiving in Islam and one of its five central pillars. It requires Muslims who meet a certain wealth threshold to donate a fixed portion, usually 2.5 percent of their savings and assets annually, to those in need.
The findings of the study are based on a 2024 survey of 7,500 Sunni Pakistanis, shedding new light on the scale and social role of zakat, according to a post shared on the ICTD website.
“In a newly published factsheet, we estimate that self-identified Sunnis in Pakistan pay over 619 billion rupees (GBP 1.7 billion) in zakat annually,” the study’s authors wrote. “In 2024, the average zakat giver paid about 15,000 rupees (about GBP 43) with over 50 million Pakistanis contributing.”
“Our data suggests that every year, more money is distributed to people in need in Pakistan through zakat than through the largest state-led cash transfer program, the Benazir Income Support Programme,” they added.
Pakistan’s Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) has a 2024/2025 budget of Rs598.7 billion ($2.16 billion), while zakat contributions, largely unregulated and directly disbursed by individuals, exceed that amount.
The federal excise duty and even official development aid received by Pakistan in recent years fall short of annual zakat totals, according to the study.
The research also reveals that Pakistan’s official zakat fund, established in the 1980s for compulsory collection and disbursed through state-appointed councils, plays a negligible role.
“Most Pakistanis prefer to bypass the state fund — unsurprising in a context where individuals have low trust in the government,” the authors said. “The national state fund collects only a fiftieth of what we estimate to be contributed annually, while survey respondents overwhelmingly noted that they prefer to manage their own zakat giving. In our survey, we find that less than 2 percent of zakat givers are going through the state fund.”
The study said most zakat is given directly to individuals, or via mosques, schools, and, to a lesser extent, NGOs, bypassing formal state channels.
More than half of the survey respondents reported giving zakat exclusively to female recipients, with a particular preference for widows, who were perceived as especially economically vulnerable.
The study highlights that private religious giving is filling critical welfare gaps in Pakistan, particularly for marginalized groups, in the absence of robust state social protection systems.
Pakistanis paying over $2 billion in zakat annually, women majority recipients — study
https://arab.news/c5mzy
Pakistanis paying over $2 billion in zakat annually, women majority recipients — study
- More money reaches people in need through zakat than via Pakistan’s Benazir Income Support Program
- Joint study by UK-based ICTD and Pakistan’s LUMS finds most people prefer to bypass the state zakat fund
Pakistan’s JF-17 fighter jet draws ‘strong interest’ at Riyadh defense exhibition
- Jets showcased as Pakistan seeks to expand defense exports
- Interest in JF-17 has heightened after May 2025 conflict with India
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s JF-17 Thunder fighter jet has drawn “strong interest” at the World Defense Exhibition in Riyadh, Pakistan’s state broadcaster said on Sunday, as Islamabad promotes the aircraft to international buyers at one of the region’s largest defense industry events.
The exhibition brings together defense officials, manufacturers and military delegations from dozens of countries, offering a platform for arms exporters to showcase equipment and pursue new contracts amid heightened global and regional security concerns.
Saudi Arabia has sought to position Riyadh as a regional hub for defense and aerospace exhibitions, using such events to foster partnerships and attract international manufacturers as part of broader diversification efforts.
Last year Islamabad signed a mutual defense pact with Riyadh and is reportedly discussing another defense agreement involving Saudi Arabia and Turkiye, although details have not been made public.
“At the World Defense Exhibition in Riyadh, the Pakistan Air Force’s JF-17 Thunder has attracted strong interest from visitors and defense experts, standing out among fighter jets displayed by the US, Saudi Arabia and other countries,” state broadcaster Pakistan Television reported.
Islamabad is attending the exhibition in the backdrop of talks with at least 13 countries, six to eight of which are in an advanced stage, for deals involving JF-17 jets made jointly with China as well as training aircraft, drones, and weapons systems, according to recent media reports.
Interest in the JF-17 jets has been bolstered by its operational visibility following the Pakistan-India military confrontation in May 2025, which Pakistani officials and defense analysts have cited as reinforcing the aircraft’s combat credibility.
Islamabad has increasingly positioned the JF-17 as a cost-effective multirole combat aircraft for countries seeking alternatives to high-end Western fighter jets. The aircraft is already in service with several foreign air forces and remains central to Islamabad’s defense export strategy.
Countries engaged in talks include Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Morocco, Ethiopia, and Nigeria as well as the government in eastern Libya led by Khalifa Haftar. Discussions on JF-17s and other weapons with Bangladesh and Iraq have been publicly acknowledged by Pakistan’s military, although more details have not been made public.
Almost all the potential buyers are Muslim-majority nations, like Pakistan. Many are from the predominantly Muslim Middle East, where Pakistan has historically been a security provider.
Separately, Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif met his Saudi counterpart, Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, at the sidelines of the event.
Asif congratulated the Saudi leadership and the defense minister on the “successful and splendid” organization of the World Defense Show, state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported.
“He described this global defense event as an important milestone in promoting defense cooperation in the region,” Radio Pakistan said.
