The Religious Affairs Ministry is yet to file its response following a petition claiming Shia pilgrims applying for Hajj are subject to discrimination. The petition was filed by Syed Ali Hadi who had accused the ministry of committing contempt of court by violating its undertaking given to the court. His Lawyer, Maqsooma Zahra Bokhari, who appeared before the Lahore High Court on Thursday to represent her client, claimed that Shia pilgrims had been facing discrimination at the hands of the ministry.
She also referred to the case of mehram (an unmarriageable kin with whom sexual intercourse would be considered incestuous, a punishable taboo) for Shia women applicants. On that issue, she went on to argue that the online form for Hajj 2016 never accepts applications from any woman without a 'mehram', whether she is a teen or not, or whatever sect she belongs to. She then asked the court to tell the ministry to specify and provide facilities for Shia pilgrims and outline a quota for them to avoid non-transparent selection of applicants.