Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed an appeal of the Religious Affairs Ministry seeking 60 to 70 percent increase in the government’s Hajj quota scheme.

A three-member Supreme Court bench comprising Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, Justice Umer Ata Bandial and Justice Ijazul Ahsan upheld the Islamabad High Court (IHC) verdict in the matter.

At the onset of hearing, the court asked Deputy Attorney General (DAG) Sohail Maehmood that if he found any legal shortcomings in the IHC verdict in the matter he might press.

The DAG, however, stated that the IHC verdict was appropriate having no shortcomings. He stated that pilgrimage through government schemes was much better and cheaper than that of private Hajj tour operators.

He stated that the IHC’s March 16 verdict had slashed the government Hajj quota from 67pc to 60pc, however, it was reverted later by the federal cabinet in its meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi.

To a court query that that how the federal cabinet could revert a verdict, he said as per the apex court orders, a committee was formed on the issue.

The judges, however, expressed annoyance over the federal cabinet for increasing government Hajj quota from 60pc to 67pc in violation of the IHC verdict.

The chief justice observed that the intending pilgrims should have the facility to perform a comfortable pilgrimage.

On March 16, the IHC had ruled that 60pc of the Hajj applicants would be able to go for the pilgrimage through the government Hajj scheme, whereas the remaining 40pc would avail the services of private Hajj tour operators.

The IHC verdict was challenged by the religious affairs ministry before the Supreme Court. The ministry had requested the apex court to order 60 pc to 70pc increase in the Hajj quota under the government scheme.

During the pendency of the petition against the IHC verdict before the apex court, the federal cabinet had agreed to slash the private Hajj quota from 40pc to 33pc, increasing the government Hajj quota to 67pc.

Published in Daily Times, April 4^th 2018.