Private tour operators: government fails to satisfy Supreme Court on Hajj quota allotment

The government on Monday failed to satisfy Supreme Court on allocation of Hajj quota to private tour operators, who had rendered their services last year, instead of inducting new tour operators. A two-member bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar adjourned the hearing till tomorrow.
Advocate Talib Rizvi appeared before the court as counsel for the Ministry of Religious Affairs. A number of private tour operators, who were denied quota by the ministry had moved the Lahore High Court (LHC) contending that the ministry arbitrarily allotted the quota without any approved criteria of selection. The LHC had directed the ministry to review its policy of allotting Hajj quota.
On July 12, 2007, the Supreme Court had cancelled the existing provisional Hajj quota for private tour operators, allotted by the Ministry of Religious Affairs. The court had also ordered formation of an independent committee to scrutinise provisional allotment and their reallocation. On May 26, 2008, the court had directed the ministry to submit its policy for private Haj tour operators within 15 days.
On Monday, Talib Rizvi said the ministry is making arrangements for Hajj, in this respect a delegation headed by Federal Religious Affairs Minister Syed Khursheed Shah, and Secretary Wakeel Ahmed had visited Saudi Arabia to finalise the arrangements. He said that after the deliberations with Pakistani delegation the Saudi government has increased the quota for Pakistan with 5,000 extra pilgrims for this year.
The Saudi government has also imposed a condition that only those operators would be given the quota, that had rendered their services last year, he added. The court asked why this all has happened? The court also asked the ministry to furnish minutes of delegation's meeting with their Saudi counterparts.
Rizvi said there is no record in this respect which could be presented in the court. He said it was a prerogative of the Saudi government to announce visa policy. The ministry is bound to follow the policy and is not in a position to make any change.
To whom would the quota for these new pilgrims be given? The court asked. Rizvi said that the government itself would make arrangements for these 5,000 pilgrims, with that government's share would reach 85,000 from previous 80,000 pilgrims. Dr Babar Awan counsel for a private tour operator said that till today the government has not reached any agreement with Saudi Hajj Ministry regarding the allocation of quota.
He said that the ministry itself has added a clause in the draft policy for allocating quota to operators, who did this job last year. "It would be our misfortune if the Ministry of Religious Affairs is alleged for corruption", he said.
He said the ministry has not followed the guidelines given by the court in drafting a new policy. The ministry has not framed its policy and the time limit given by the court has ended. In addition, the ministry has not allowed to check the list of operators to whom the quota would be allocated, it is against the order of the court, he added.