NA body unhappy over Haj hardship quota

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly Standing Committee on Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony expressed concern over, what it said, unjustified distribution of hardship quota for Haj 2016.

The committee members warned of moving a privilege motion against the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Affairs over the issue.The committee, which met with Hafiz Abdul Karim in the chair on Monday, discussed the issue at length.

Three per cent of the total Government Scheme quota has been reserved for hardship cases, including broken families, labourers, infants and pilgrims from various departments.Abdul Ghaffar Dogar said the parliamentarians were disgraced by not accommodating their recommendations, adding that the ministry was powerless as the Haj affairs were being tackled by private persons.

Shagufta Jumani said the names of persons recommended by her were not included in the list for hardship quota despite confirmation by the ministry that they were accommodated.Minister of State Pir Amin-ul-Hasnat Shah said he was not aware of the hardship quota distribution as he was abroad. He, however, assured to remove the grievances after looking into the matter.

Additional Secretary Muhammad Khan said the hardship quota was distributed among the parliamentarians equally.The committee chairman said another meeting would be held next month for discussing anomalies and directed the minister and the secretary to ensure their presence.