Applications for Haj-2007 are likely to be received by the middle of this month and only the travel fare of the pilgrims has been increased. This was disclosed by the Federal Secretary, Ministry of Zakat, Ushr & Religious Affairs, Vakil Ahmed Khan to the senate standing committee on religious affairs during a meeting chaired by the Senator Maulana Sami-ul-Haq at the agriculture house here on Saturday.
Vakil Ahmed told the committee that a petition of the Ministry was pending with the Supreme Court regarding Haj operators' selection and its hearing would be held on the 10th of this month. "In case no verdict of Supreme Court is given on the next hearing, the Haj directorate will have no option but to go ahead in the light of Lahore High Court's decision of upholding the stance of the religious affairs ministry against 11 Haj operators," he explained.
He said the ministry had 544 Haj operators and was strictly monitoring their performance and taking action accordingly. The federal secretary told the committee that the Saudi Arabia government had increased Pakistan's Haj quota from 150,000 to around 159,000, which would be distributed equally between regular and private schemes.
He said the raise in the Haj fare would be applicable only on travel charges of the pilgrims, under which Hajis from Karachi and Quetta, and from Lahore, Faisalabad, Multan, Peshawar, and Islamabad would have to pay an additional fare of Rs 3,500 and Rs 4,200 respectively.
The increase was still Rs 11,000 less than the charges of scheduled flights, he added. However, the senate committee condemned the raise in Haj travel fares and said that other means of transportation should also be considered to send the pilgrims to Saudi Arabia.
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