Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The ministry of religious affairs is playing the role of a glum spectator over the loot and plunder spree unleashed by some private tour operators.

These private tour operators are plundering the pilgrims all over the country but no one is there to hold them accountable.

A survey conducted by Daily Times in various cities revealed that private tour operators were grabbing fee two or three times higher than the prescribed fee from the Hajj pilgrims and on the other hand the facilities being provided by the private tour operators were far less than the facilities being extended by the government.

All the tour operators convince the intending pilgrims that they would be provided residence within 900 metres of Al Haram while this is not done. On the other hand over eight pilgrims are accommodated in the rooms meant for two or three persons.

Hajj tour operators are collecting money ranging between Rs 500,000 to Rs 700,000 per pilgrim in Islamabad and in other cities including Karachi, Peshawar and in the other major cities the fees is being charged by private tour operators two or three times in excess of the fee set by the government.

The ministry of religious affairs has given a free hand to the tour operators to extort money from the pilgrims.

When Daily Times contacted the tour operators in Islamabad and asked them why they were going on a loot and plunder spree as the government was charging fee Rs 270,000 from the intending pilgrims while they were collecting Rs 500,000 to Rs 700,000 from them, they said on one side the quota had been given to “us” after three years and on the other side what “we have to pay heavily for obtaining the quota and it is not possible for us to charge the pilgrims according to the government rate. We are also sitting here to earn an income after spending a lot of money”.

On the condition of anonymity a travel agent told Daily Times that no special facility is provided to the pilgrims by private tour operators against the hefty fee of Rs 600000 to Rs 700000 they grab from the pilgrims. On the other hand proper facilities including air conditioned rooms and lodging arrangement in 5 star hotels are provided to the Hajjajs from whom fee ranging between Rs 1600000 to Rs 3000000 is charged. Maulana Tariq Jameel, other religious and spiritual figures and business tycoon are included in the list of Hajjajs who pay Rs 1600000 to Rs 3000000 against 10 days package.

Joint secretary ministry of religious affairs told Daily Times complaints flow in against private tour operators.

The Minister for Religious Affairs, Sardar Yousuf told Daily Times that the ministry of religious affairs was charging a fee of Rs 270000 from pilgrims in Islamabad and Rs 260000 in Karachi for performing Hajj with five star hotel facilities. But private operators were looting the pilgrims as they were charging Rs 700000 per pilgrim. They don’t provide facilities to the pilgrims at par with the ministry of religious affairs even after charging a hefty fees from them.

Ministry of Religious Affairs spokesman, Imran Siddiqui, told Daily Times that private tour operators were plundering the people and they were being backed by ministers, MNAs and other tycoons. The ministry had allotted the quota under the orders of the Supreme Court but the prevailing situation is causing embarrassment to the common man. No institution is in place to regulate the fees and to bring all these guilty operators in the ambit of the law.

Yahya Pollani, a leading travel agent of the country told Daily Times that Hajj (Religious pilgrimage to Makkah) had been commercialised and he did not deem it wise to offer further comments.

When Daily Times tried to talk to Nadim Sharif, president Hajj operators association on this count, his staff members told that he was outside the country.