Social Welfare Functions of the Shrine of Bari Imam.

The article focuses on the impact of the state occupation of shrines in Pakistan on pilgrims, with reference to the changes in the social welfare functions of the shrine of Bari Imam after state control. It discusses whether state control is having adverse impact on the shrine's clients who generally belong to minority and marginal groups. It claims that the concept of nationalization (building mosques, schools or libraries at the shrine compounds) serves the urban middle class, not the poor.