‍Shahjalal, Shahparan shrines to get financial transparency, modern complex

The government has taken initiatives to ensure financial transparency at the Hazrat Shahjalal (Rah.) and Hazrat Shah Paran (Rah.) shrines in Sylhet, which are over 700 years old. Both shrines will also be transformed into modern Islamic complexes, the district administration announced on Friday, June 12.

The management committees of both shrines and the Waqf Estate authorities will jointly determine the actual financial picture of the shrines and associated institutions.

Sylhet Deputy Commissioner Md Sarwar Alam said Shahjalal and his nephew Shah Paran came to the region to spread the message of monotheism and fight against injustice and oppression. "They are not the property of any specific group or individual. They are the pride of all Sylhet residents and a special mercy of Allah," he said.

The shrine and Waqf Estate authorities will jointly conduct the activities to determine the actual income and expenditure of the shrines over the next month, coordinated by the district administration. A meeting was held on Thursday, June 10, following a directive from the Planning Commission.

The deputy commissioner said the goal is to bring both institutions under a disciplined framework to ensure transparency and accountability. "We are currently trying to bring the management, activities and overall environment of these two important shrines within a certain standard," he said.

When asked about the possibility of appointing administrators to the shrines, Sarwar Alam said their main focus now is to transform the shrines into modern and beautiful Islamic complexes while also accounting for their income and expenditure. Regular monitoring by the government will now be conducted.

It has been decided that representatives of the administration will be involved in the management alongside those associated with shrine management. All financial transactions will be properly recorded and preserved.

The deputy commissioner also said regular government monitoring and supervision of all activities of both shrines will continue.