Several Saudi agents have been blacklisted by the Saudi authorities for allegedly mismanaging the Umrah tours, causing hardships to the Pakistani pilgrims. According to the Travel Agents Association of Pakistan (Taap), as a result of this move of the Saudi authorities, foreign Umrah operators, dealing with those agents though having clean record, were also likely to suffer without any reason.
Taap Regional Chairman Mohammad Kalamuddin, in a letter to the Ministry of Religious Affairs, Zakat and Ushr, suggested that the Pakistani agents should not be penalised for the wrongs done by the Saudi agents.
They further demanded that the Pakistani agents should be permitted to enter into agreement with the Saudi agents having clean record under the existing bank guarantee already provided to the listed agents.
The Taap pointed out that even on minor grounds, the Pakistani agents were made to suffer at the hands of the Saudi agents, who quite often did not fulfil their commitments, particularly in respect of their contractual obligations to provide agreed services to the pilgrims, leaving them stranded without accommodation, food or transport, etc.
To contain "runaway cases", the Saudi authorities should ask the local agents to surrender unused tickets soon after a person was found overstaying beyond validity of his visa, said the Taap.
In the "runaway cases," not only a foreign (Pakistan) agent, but the Saudi agents also equally connived in such crimes, it said.
"As in the case of Pakistani agents, being licensed by and registered with the Saudi authorities, the Saudi agents, willing to do business with their Pakistani counterparts, should also get themselves registered with the relevant Pakistani ministry and furnish the prescribed amount of bank guarantee. "This will ensure some safeguard to Pakistani agents," the Taap added.
The Taap also agitated against double licensing of tour operators.
In a separate letter, written by Taap Chairman Ashfaq Ahmed Mirza to Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, double licensing of the tour operators had been agitated.
Although the travel and tourism trade in Pakistan is controlled, regulated and monitored by the Ministry of Tourism, the Prime Minister's consent has been reportedly obtained by the Ministry of Religious Affairs to register tour operators handling Umrah business, as its licencees.
He said the performance of the Ministry of Religious Affairs had been far from satisfactory and it had disappointed the nation by mismanaging the overall Haj affairs and rendering poor and unsatisfactory services to the Haj pilgrims. They were now trying to be over ambitious by taking over Umrah business also in their fold by registering the tour operators with the Ministry, he added.
Similarly, the proposal from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SECP) for the formation of 20 to 25 major tour operators companies tantamounted to creating monopoly and cartel of favourites, he said, and added this could deprive and uproot hundreds of licensed tour operators from their legitimate business.
The proposal to issue special Umrah passports, he said, would not fetch the desired results.
It would be an exercise in futility, as those performing Umrah with ulterior motives would not be deterred whether they were in possession of normal international passports or travel on special Umrah passports, he said.
"The Ministry of Religious Affairs may be asked to desist from interfering and taking any such action as is likely to aggravate further the existing pathetic state of travel and tourism trade in the country.
"Further, it should be asked to co-ordinate with the Ministry of Tourism, the travel trade licensing authority and other concerned departments to ensure smooth and flawless handling of Umrah business," he said.
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