Hajj balloting transparency a priority, says government

ISLAMABAD: The government is taking all steps to make sure that the Hajj balloting process is as transparent as possible, the Senate was told on Friday.

Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Sardar Muhammad Yousuf told the House during questions that Hajj pilgrims are selected through computerized balloting due to a large number of Hajj applications under a government scheme.

He said that about 3,75,000 Hajj applications have been received against Pakistan’s quota of 1,20,000 and that a specified quota of ten thousand has been reserved for applicants who consecutively failed to obtain permits for the last three years.

The Minister said that ten thousand positions have also been reserved for people with an age of 80 years and above. Only banks which operate Sharia accounts are allowed to receive applications for Hajj.
In response to a different question, the PC-1 for the renovation of Federal Lodges at a cost of Rs 5.5 million and construction of an additional block of Federal Lodges No-1 in Quetta has been submitted, said Minister of Housing and Works Akram Khan Durrani.

To another question, he said that no mosque is allotted on the basis of sect under his ministry.

“The Regulation of Generation Transmission and Distribution of Electric Power (Amendment) Bill, 2017” was passed by the Senate on Friday which amends the Regulation of Generation, Transmission and Distribution of Electric Power Act, 1997.  The Minister for Power Sardar Awais Ahmed Khan Leghari moved the bill.