July 03, 2017
President Pakistan Businessmen and Intellectuals Forum (PBIF), President All Karachi Industrial Alliance (AKIA), Senior Vice Chairman of the Businessmen Panel of FPCCI and Former Provincial Minister Mian Zahid Hussain on Monday said mismanagement in the Ministry of Religious Affairs has created uncertainty among the private Hajj operators.
The Ministry has failed to properly manage things which continue to worry Hajj operators while it is being feared that Hajis would face serious problems during the Hajj, he said.
Mian Zahid Hussain said that preparations for Hajj are initiated well before time but for this decision of the ministry are required while indecision will have a cost.
The ministry has issued list of the companies involved in sending Hajis but it is silent about the quota. Local companies as well as officials in the Saudi Arabia have not been informed in this regard resulting in problems, he added.
The Business Leader said that in this situation the Hajj operators are unable to make arrangements like accommodation and meals etc. Booking in the airlines also take place in advance but uncertainty has also played its role here as some operators have paid to the airlines in advance using the figures of last year.
The overall situation may result in colossal losses to the community of Hajj operators therefore government should take note of the situation and issue directions to improve the situation, he demanded.
It may be mentioned that the Supreme Court, while hearing the Hajj Quota Case directed the authorities concerned to consider new companies while distributing quota. The Ministry has issued the list of operators which include twenty seven new companies.
He appealed to Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Sardar Muhammad Yousaf for immediate intervention to make hajj operators free from financial losses and mental illness caused by these issues.
