Lahore, June 2, 2025: The Punjab Home Department has issued a comprehensive advisory urging citizens to refrain from donating sacrificial animal hides to proscribed organizations or their affiliates during Eidul Azha.
In a statement released Monday, the department stressed that providing financial or material support to banned outfits is a criminal offence under the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997. A list of over 70 banned organizations has been made public, warning citizens of the serious legal and national security implications of aiding such groups.
“Assisting entities involved in terrorism or anti-state activities poses a grave threat to national security and may lead to legal consequences for individuals,” a department spokesperson stated.
The advisory instructs citizens to donate hides exclusively to charities registered with the Punjab Charity Commission. These authorized organizations carry official certificates embedded with QR codes, enabling real-time verification.
All seminaries and welfare institutions intending to collect hides must first obtain a valid No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Deputy Commissioner’s office. Only those with permits issued by either the DC or the Charity Commission will be permitted to collect animal hides.
Among the proscribed groups listed are Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, Sipah-e-Muhammad, Jaish-e-Muhammad, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Al-Qaeda, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Jamaat-ud-Dawa, Daesh (ISIS), Hizb-ut-Tahrir, Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz (JSQM), Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation, Al-Akhtar Trust, Al-Rasheed Trust, and Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM), among others.
The Home Department has appealed to parents, mosque administrators, seminaries, and NGOs to remain vigilant and play their part in protecting national interests during the festive period.
Citizens have been encouraged to report any suspicious or unauthorized hide collection activity by banned groups through the police emergency helpline 15.
Official lists of approved charitable organizations are available on the websites of the Punjab Home Department, Punjab Charity Commission, and National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA).
Meanwhile, the federal government has announced a four-day public holiday for Eidul Azha, which will begin on Friday, June 6, and continue through Monday, June 9.
