The Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony (Urdu: وزارت مذہبی امور و بین المذاہب ہم آہنگی, abbreviated as MoRA) is a government agency of Pakistan responsible for religious matters such as pilgrimage outside Pakistan, especially to Iran and Iraq for Ziyarat, and Saudi Arabia for Umrah and Hajj. It is also responsible for the welfare and safety of pilgrims. The agency has its headquarters in Islamabad.[1]
| وزارت مذہبی امور و بین المذاہب ہم آہنگی وزارۃ الشؤن الدینیہ والوئام بین الادیان | |
 | |
| Government Organization overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 14 August 1973 |
| Jurisdiction | Government of Pakistan |
| Headquarters | T.U.V. Blocks, Kohsar Block, Opposite Punjab House, Islamabad, Pakistan 33°44′29″N 73°05′33″E / 33.7413411964465°N 73.09252097522672°E |
| Employees | 500 |
| Annual budget | Rs.493 million (2021) |
| Minister responsible | |
| Government Organization executive |
|
| Website | Official website |
The Ministry was established by Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. Its first minister was Maulana Kausar Niazi.[2]
Wings
editThe ministry is composed of several subordinate bodies including:
- Hajj Wing
- Administration and Finance Wing
- Dawah and Ziarat Wing
- Development and Coordination Wing
- Research and Reference Wing
- Interfaith Harmony Wing
- Office of Pilgrims' Affairs Pakistan (OPAP), KSA
List of ministers
editThe following it the list of Federal Ministers for Religious Affairs:[3]
| No. | Name | Tenure start | Tenure end |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maulana Kausar Niazi | 14 August 1973 | 5 July 1977 |
| 2 | A. K. Brohi | 5 July 1978 | 23 August 1978 |
| 3 | Mahmoud A. Haroon | 21 April 1979 | 9 March 1981 |
| 4 | General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq | 9 March 1981 | 15 March 1981 |
| 5 | Alhaj Mohammad Abbas Khan Abbasi | 15 March 1981 | 18 March 1984 |
| 6 | Raja Zafar-ul-Haq | 19 March 1984 | 26 February 1985 |
| 7 | Dr. Muhammad Afzal | 28 February 1985 | 24 March 1985 |
| 8 | Muhammad Khan Junejo | 10 April 1985 | 28 January 1986 |
| 9 | Mir Haji Tareen | 28 January 1986 | 28 August 1986 |
| 10 | Iqbal Ahmed Khan | 28 August 1986 | 20 December 1986 |
| 11 | Syed Qasim Shah | 1 February 1987 | 29 March 1987 |
| 12 | Haji Muhammad Saifullah Khan | 29 March 1987 | 29 May 1988 |
| 13 | Maulana Wasi Mazhar Naqvi (Caretaker Government) | 9 June 1988 | 19 November 1988 |
| 14 | Khan Bahadur Khan | 23 March 1989 | 6 August 1990 |
| 15 | Hazar Khan Bijarani | 7 October 1990 | 6 November 1990 |
| 16 | Sardar Mehtab Ahmed Khan | 28 March 1991 | 10 September 1991 |
| 17 | Maulana Muhamad Abdus Sattar Khan Niazi | 10 September 1991 | 18 July 1993 |
| 18 | Justice (R) Abdul Shakurul Islam | 18 July 1993 | 19 October 1993 |
| 19 | Jehangir Bader | 31 July 1996 | 5 November 1996 |
| 20 | Faridullah Khan (Caretaker Government) | 6 November 1996 | 17 February 1997 |
| 21 | Raja Zafar-ul-Haq | 11 July 1997 | 12 October 1999 |
| 22 | Abdul Malik Kasi | 6 November 1999 | 15 August 2000 |
| 23 | Dr. Mahmood Ahmad Ghazi | 15 August 2000 | 5 August 2002 |
| 24 | Owais Ahmed Ghani | 5 August 2002 | 23 November 2002 |
| 25 | Ijaz-ul-Haq | 24 March 2004 | 16 November 2007 |
| 26 | Khawaja Attaullah Taunsa Sharif (Caretaker Government) | 16 November 2007 | 25 March 2008 |
| 27 | Syed Khurshid Ahmed Shah | 11 April 2008 | 3 November 2008 |
| 28 | Hamid Saeed Kazmi | 14 November 2008 | 14 December 2010 |
| 29 | Syed Khurshid Ahmed Shah | 14 December 2010 | 16 March 2013 |
| 30 | Shahzada Jamal Nazir (Caretaker Government) | 3 April 2013 | 4 June 2013 |
| 31 | Sardar Muhammad Yousaf | 7 June 2013 | 31 May 2017 |
| 32 | Muhammad Yusuf Shaikh (Caretaker Government) | 5 June 2018 | 20 August 2018 |
| 33 | Noor-ul-Haq Qadri | 20 August 2018 | 10 April 2022 |
| 34 | Mufti Abdul Shakoor[4] | 19 April 2022 | 15 April 2023 |
| 35 | Muhammad Talha Mahmood[5] | 15 April 2023 | 10 August 2023 |
| 36 | Aniq Ahmed (Caretaker Government) | 17 August 2023 | 04 March 2024 |
| 37 | Chaudhry Salik Hussain | 03 April 2024 | Present |
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ "Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony". mora.gov.pk. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
- ^ "'There was no religious affairs ministry in Quaid's cabinet'". Dawn. Pakistan. 22 April 2015. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
- ^ "Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony". mora.gov.pk. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
- ^ "Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony".
- ^ "Talha Mahmood given portfolio of religious affairs". 19 April 2023.