New Delhi, July 15: Ajmer dargah is still waiting for the $1 million that Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari had announced as donation when he visited the Rajasthan shrine in April.

“Three months have passed, but Zardari has failed to deliver on his promise. After a series of meetings, Pakistan high commission officials last month asked us to wait for some time,” Wahid Hussain, general secretary of the association of khadims (priests), told The Telegraph from Ajmer. They had been given to understand that Zardari was preoccupied with events at home.

A source in the high commission, however, blamed the khadims’ association for not submitting plans for development work they intended to carry out with the donation — Rs 5.5 crore at current rates. “So far, they have not given us any development plans related to utilisation of funds, despite a series of meetings and this is why the funds could not be released,” a senior official said.

The khadims are angry with the Pakistan government for putting conditions on releasing the donation. “This is unheard of. Till date no visiting dignitary or any head of state or country has put such conditions after offering donation at the dargah. The money always reached the dargah within a month of announcement,” Hussain said.

The Pakistani official said the Centre-run dargah committee, which manages the shrine to Sufi saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti, had “already submitted a plan”, saying they wanted to build a healthcare unit for pilgrims and upgrade facilities for visitors.

The khadims and the dargah committee have both staked claim to the donation, a sum, the priests said, was the highest by a visiting head of state in recent memory.

Since Pakistan wants to monitor the projects funded by the donation, to be sent through the high commission, it wants both camps to submit plans.

Traditionally, the nazrana (donation) offered by visiting dignitaries or head of any country goes to the association of khadims and is spent on building facilities for pilgrims.

But, a dargah committee official said Zardari had announced the donation for the shrine’s development and the panel was the “rightful claimant”.

When both groups remained adamant over the amount, a high commission official said they would brief Zardari about the development. But, Zardari appears to have been caught up with events at home with Pakistan’s Supreme Court asking the government to reopen cases of alleged corruption against him.

Hussain said the high commission officials told: “Zardari saheb was in trouble now and the money would be released soon.” But, it would be given in instalments depending on the development work carried out with the amount released.