Control the ‘building-agent mafia’ active in Saudi Arabia, Hajj Advisory Committee 2011 directed the federal government and the ministry of foreign affairs on Thursday.
Chairman Advisory Committee 2011 and Parliamentary Secretary Religious Affairs, Mahboobullah Jan handed the committee’s report to the National Assembly Standing Committee on Religious Affairs. The report said that the agents’ undue interference in building-hiring process was also contrary to the directions of the Saudi government. It is to mention here that the ministry of religious affairs last year had prepared a list of “undesirable crooked building mafia” containing 21 persons, from both Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, who used to blackmail the Pakistani officials during the building-hiring process.
The Advisory Committee which recently visited Saudi Arabia to review the hajj arrangements for the year 2011 also expressed concerns over the location of ‘Pakistan House’ in Makkah, Saudi Arabia and directed the ministry to hire a building close to the Haram Sharif.
Minister for Religious Affairs Syed Khurshid Shah told the committee that about 78,437 passports have been received by the ministry through banks for affixation of hajj visas. He said ‘abaya’ is must for female hujjaj while no haji can be allowed to carry any bag except the ones specially-designed for the purpose with a Pakistani flag printed on them. He asked the intending pilgrims to get ready for ordeals since they were leaving for hajj and not for a picnic.
Secretary Religious Affairs Shaukat Hayyat Durrani told the committee that 185 buildings (43 Green Category and 142 White Category) with a total capacity to accommodate 74,935 hujjaj had been hired till end June, 2011. He further told the committee that this year hujjaj of a particular district would be transported to Saudi Arabia in a group and their accommodation would also be in same vicinity so as to facilitate them viz-a-viz coordination.
