HYDERABAD (HRNW): Serious allegations of financial malpractice and mismanagement have surfaced regarding the distribution of Zakat funds at the Sindh Bank Auto Bhan Road Branch in Hyderabad. Deserving recipients, including elderly women and persons with disabilities, have reported facing severe hardships and unauthorized deductions from their government-allocated financial assistance.
According to several affected women, bank staff are allegedly deducting up to 1,000 PKR from the total 16,000 PKR Zakat stipend. Beyond the financial loss, recipients claim the bank staff is uncooperative during the biometric verification process, with some reporting being pushed or turned away without justification. Specific allegations have been leveled against the Area Manager, Najaf Shah, and Operation Manager, Adeel Almani, for overseeing operations where these alleged deductions and hurdles are occurring.
The crisis appears to extend to other locations as well. Sources indicate that at the Central Jail Journalist Branch, recipients are being told their biometric verification cannot be processed and are being redirected to the Market Branch, causing further distress and logistical hurdles for impoverished citizens. Video statements from distraught victims have started circulating on social media, showing crowds of people waiting for hours without receiving their payments.
In response to the growing outcry, citizens and social activists have urged the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), the Sindh Bank Head Office in Karachi, and the Government of Sindh to take immediate notice of the situation. They are demanding an inquiry into the conduct of the branch management, a guarantee for the transparent provision of the full Zakat amount, and strict disciplinary action against those responsible for exploiting the city’s most vulnerable residents.
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