PAKISTAN does not have a giving problem. Sunni Muslims in Pakistan pay over Rs619 billion in zakat annually, in addition to sadaqah and waqf endowments. Pakistanis give at mosques, through family networks and civil society organisations that have held communities together for decades. But charity is not social work.

Social work is a scientific discipline grounded in human behaviour, practised with mindfulness and critical reflection on power and privilege. It champions autonomy and dignity, not dependency. Zakat is a redistributive obligation meant to restore self-sufficiency, not establish need. Yet in practice, eligibility determination should be followed by structured follow-up — case management, referrals and ongoing check-ins that help someone move beyond recurring need.

Social work’s history is not one of progress but one of power. In Britain and the US, the profession grew out of framewo­rks that blurred the line between charity and control and between goodwill and au­­thority. Uncomfortable as that history is, we cannot build accountable, equitable systems without honestly confronting it.

The Elizabethan Poor Laws of 1601 determined that aid was reserved for the........

© Dawn