The Ministry of Religious Affairs on Tuesday informed the Senate Standing Committee on Religious Affairs that 5,000 private companies registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) were interested in getting quota for Haj this year. Religious Affairs Secretary Shaukat Hayat Durrani told the committee that the process would be finalised through evaluation by a third party. He said that currently 95 companies were registered with the ministry, and they were given Haj quota under Supreme Court’s (SC) orders. He said that for the next year, the number of private Haj operators might increase due to SC’s orders to accommodate them all.
He said a third party would evaluate if the companies would be capable of performing Haj duties, adding that the process of granting Haj quota would be transparent. The secretary said the ministry was making a long-term plan for Haj operations, including the allocation of Haj quota for private Haj operators. Both Haj and Umrah operations involve processes costing over Rs 100 billion annually, which are currently shared equally by the government and private sector. He said the private sector was also generating employment opportunities. Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) Managing Director Nadeem Yousufzai briefed the committee about the transportation of pilgrims from Pakistan to Saudi Arabia and their return to the country. He said the PIA management planned to purchase 40 aircraft in the next
five years.