State won’t allow anyone to compromise national security: CM

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Thursday announced a major welfare initiative for mosque imams while addressing the Punjab CM honorary imams’ ceremony in Lahore, calling ulema the backbone of society and key partners in peace, unity, and governance.

The ceremony was held in Lahore, where honorary cards were distributed among ulema. Maryam Nawaz warmly welcomed the religious scholars and thanked everyone involved in turning the initiative into reality.

She said that whenever society faces a problem, people instinctively turn to religious scholars for guidance. “People say, bring the mosque imam and let him decide,” she remarked, stressing the deep trust the public places in ulema.

Acknowledging role, struggles

The chief minister said she holds the clerics in the highest respect and regretted that society has failed to give them the status they truly deserve. She revealed that she received responses from imams of nearly 70,000 mosques, highlighting the scale of engagement. 

Maryam Nawaz noted that even in 2026, many mosque imams are forced to survive on as little as Rs5,000 per month, despite performing invaluable religious and social services. She acknowledged that meeting daily expenses under such conditions is extremely difficult.

Rs25,000 stipend approved on Nawaz Sharif’s direction

The Punjab CM announced that her father and three-time former prime minister Nawaz Sharif had directed that mosque imams should be provided a respectable monthly stipend starting at Rs25,000. From the end of February, Rs25,000 will be transferred monthly to imams through a dedicated honorarium card issued by the Bank of Punjab.

She confirmed that around 70,000 imams have already opened bank accounts.