This is with reference to your correspondents report on Umrah scam published in your issue on 30 March. For a country which calls itself an Islamic Republic, the corruption nexus of employees in the national airline PIA and few travel agents is exploiting and fleecing the public who are eager to perform their religious obligation. It is an unpardonable sin.
After the Hajj scam revelation and the fact that nobody has been punished to serve as a lesson for others, this has only encouraged others to pursue with their greed for ill-gotten money.
There have been two Umrah flights operated out of Sialkot recently, and both of them were operated with delays ranging from 12 hours to 14 hours each. As if this was not enough the unfortunate aspirants for Umrah had to buy these tickets at much more than the fare announced by PIA. These tickets were available at prices ranging upwards of Rs75,000 with a windfall for travel agents.
There is a PIA booking outlet in the city but no tickets are available with them, all of them having been sold en bloc to privileged travel agents.
When will somebody in Islamabad take cognisance of the serious implications of such irregularities which are being performed with no fear of any accountability? Either Islamabad must take action against culprits or allow other airlines to operate Umrah flights.
SHAHZAD KHALIL
Sialkot
