Summary Justice Khalid Mehmood reserves judgement for the plea against Hajj Policy 2014.
LAHORE (Dunya News) -- Lahore High Court’s Justice Khalid Mehmood Khan on Monday heard the plea against Hajj Policy filed by private tour operators, Dunya News reported. Secretary Minister of Religious Affairs objected saying that the petition challenging the Hajj Policy is not applicable. Finance Minister Ishaq Dar among four other ministers granted the approval for allotting Hajj quota of 15000 pilgrims. The court remarked that the constitution protects the rights of the judges and the citizens. Government, ministers or counselors can’t provide the basic rights to judges and citizens, said Justice Mehmood. The judiciary is responsible for providing the basic rights, he said.
The lawyer of petition seekers Azhar Siddique argued that the Hajj Policy 2014 violated the constitution and the Supreme Court. Moreover, the Ministry of Religious Affairs has also accepted the unfair allocation of quota among private tour operators; therefore, the court should declare the Hajj Policy as null and void. The court reserved its judgment regarding the petitions filed which will be announced tomorrow.
Justice Khalid Mehmood Khan had directed the government and the Ministry of Religious Affairs to submit a detailed response to the petitions filed against the Hajj Policy 2014. He had also expressed his concern that the government did not make any policies protecting public welfare and extended the stay till May against the allocation of 15000 quota among private operators. Petitioner’s lawyer Azhar Siddique had informed that neither the government had made any committee for Hajj Policy 2014 as it was directed by Supreme Court nor uploaded the policy details on the website of religious affairs ministry. He also informed that the government allotted Hajj quota of 15000 pilgrims among private tour operators, where the government’s Hajj cost Rs 270,000 while private operators charged at least Rs 600,000.
A deputy attorney general informed that 143,386 Hajj Quota was allotted to the government by distributing 50 percent Hajj quota (71,684) to private Hajj and same to the government Hajj Scheme. He said for this year 15000 Hajj quota of government scheme was reduced to 56,684 and private Hajj quota increased to 86,684. Petitioners counsel Siddique submitted that Hajj policy passed by ministry of religious affairs in violation of the orders of Supreme Court allotted more than 50 per cent Hajj quota to previous tour operators without verification of the credential and the quota is being allotted to ineligible and black listed companies.
He further argued that in the interest of justice, equity and fair play, the Hajj Policy-2014 is contempt of judgment passed by the Supreme Court and in view of Article 187 read with Article 201 of the Constitution. He said that the government hajj scheme was previously economical but the private companies are looting the people now.
He requested that the Hajj quota should be allotted according to the recommendations made by the Competition Commission of Pakistan in its report of February 26, 2013. The quote must keep in view the economy of financial packages offered, quality of management and services provided and the financial strength of the HGOs should be considered. He termed the Hajj Policy as violation of fundamental rights envisaged in the Constitution.
