ISLAMABAD – The Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled against the government’s new Hajj quota policy and ordered to resume 50 per cent tour operators’ quota.
The three-member bench of the court headed by Chief Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali heard the case filed by tour operators to resume fifty per cent quota of touring operators in Hajj 2016 process. During the course of proceedings, the chief justice remarked that the government itself promised 50 per cent quota for private tour operators but it did not fulfil the promise.
Additional Attorney General Rana Waqar told the court that the government changed policy on public demand. He said that formation of Hajj policy was the responsibility of the government. Earlier, during the course of hearing of the quota for Hajj 2016 on Monday, Justice Jamali observed that the top court had to examine whether the quota was determined in the light of procedures.
The Ministry of Religious Affairs had proposed the reduction in Hajj quota of the private sector from 50 per cent to 40 per cent in the larger public interest to accommodate a maximum number of pilgrims. “The Hajj Formulation Committee did not object on the reduction of Hajj quota of private sector in the meeting which was held on March 25,” the reply reads. The ministry allocated Hajj quota every year to the private sector in accordance with the Hajj policy of the concerned year.
