Given the vindictive reluctance of this government to punish those who fleeced poor Hajjis last year and made them suffer untold miseries and hardships, I would request all Pakistani citizens to spare their old parents and womenfolk to go through this ordeal this year. The Ulema of this country must give their consensus opinion on this issue whether the performance of pilgrimage for the citizens of a state whose government has no intention to provide the promised facilities for which these poor people are charged a premium price is a valid Hajj.
Since our elected parliament has failed to ensure that those guilty be punished, it would be fair for the Ulema of this country with a 90 percent Muslim population to consider the ground realities. Given the hurdles placed by our government to the attempts of Supreme Court of Pakistan to punish those guilty of such heinous crime, one can assume that this will only encourage these corrupt elements whose sole purpose in life is to make money and they have no fear of the wrath of Almighty.
When the scions of our rulers are allegedly involved in such crimes, we must understand that conscience is a rare commodity for these power hungry and greedy people who are an insult to democracy and fair name of politicians. It is indeed sad that even the performance of Hajj is not free from these corrupt vultures.
GULL ZAMAN
Peshawar
