ISLAMABAD: The Senate’s Standing Committee on Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony was informed on Friday that the designated branches of scheduled banks were expected to start receiving Haj applications under the government scheme from Monday (April 4).
Joint Secretary (Haj) Muhammad Farooq told the committee that the date for receiving applications might be delayed slightly as the new Haj Policy would be announced after getting approval of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
He said the application receiving process would be completed in 10 days.
According to the tentative schedule, the applications would be received till April 14 while the ballot would be held on April 16 or 17 to select the successful applicants, the upper house was told.
Farooq said this year 143,348 Pakistanis would perform Haj, including 86,021 through the government and 57,347 through private schemes. The Haj quota allotted to Pakistan by Saudi Arabia was divided at the ratio of 60:40 between government and private schemes respectively.
According to draft Haj policy, he said, 5 per cent (4,301) of Government Scheme quota had been reserved to accommodate hardship cases.
The Haj dues of the applicants would be deposited in interest free accounts, he added.
Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Sardar Muhammad Yousaf told the committee that sophisticated Haj training of intending pilgrims would be ensured this year keeping in view lessons learnt from Mina tragedy.
Master trainers would be deployed at 139 hired buildings in Saudi Arabia for properly training the pilgrims, he added.
The committee was told that the government Haj package had not been enhanced as compared to the last year.
The intending pilgrims from southern part would pay Rs 261,941 and while those from northern part would pay Rs271,941.
Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) had agreed to decrease the fare from Rs 113,000 to Rs 95,000. Committee chairman Hafiz Hamdullah directed the ministry to submit a detailed report about the expenditures incurred by its various wings from 2012 to 2015.
Reconstituting Ruet-i-Hilal Committee
The Senate committee sought a detailed report in next meeting about the legal and constitutional status of Ruet-i-Hilal Committee, perks and privileges being paid to its members, and criteria of the selection of its members and chairman.
The committee directed to accommodate technical persons in Ruet-e-Hilal Committee.
Senator Hamdullah said that the committee had been set up only on the basis of a resolution passed by the National Assembly in January 1974, and not by any legislation. Ruet-i-Hilal Committee has been working for the last 15 years sans any legal cover, he added.
He asked whether the resolution for setting up the Ruet-e-Hilal Committee, passed by the NA on January 23, 1974, had been formalised by making legislation or by framing rules.
Sardar Yousaf said that neither any legislation had been made nor were any rules formulated for the Ruet-i-Hilal Committee.
The Senate committee was told that the Ruet-i-Hilal Committee had 26 members, who were treated as Grade 20 officers of the federal government in respect of travelling and daily allowances.
Federal Secretary for Religious Affairs Sohail Aamir said Ruet-i-Hilal Committee was being reconstituted and legislators should guide the ministry in that regard.
