200 officials to perform Haj

ISLAMABAD: A list of 200 officials/officers from the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony has been finalised by the Government of Pakistan for the upcoming Haj.

Only from the minister's office, a total list of 35 members has been prepared including five drivers, four gunmen, one cook and 11 personal secretaries and assistants. The minister himself will also be performing Haj this year.

The list available with this scribe says that the authority has finalised this list so that they provide their services to the pilgrims and ensure their utmost welfare while performing Haj. When contacted, Secretary Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony, Aftab Akber Durrani, said, "The staff of the ministry goes every year. Staff like drivers and gunmen are tagged along for help in works such as carrying luggage, etc."

"We are given a proportion which we can take along every year from the ministries staff for Haj", explained Durrani. The list further includes staff members of secretaries, deputy secretaries, joint secretaries, directors, deputy directors and assistant directors.

In this list of 200 people, there are a total of 16 drivers, over 20 people are identified as security guards/ gunmen/ chowkidars and there are three stenotypists also mentioned in the list. Apart from this, cooks, tubewell workers and pump operators are also included in the list which will be going to ensure safety of the pilgrims going to Saudi Arabia as mentioned in the document available with this scribe.

Directors, assistant directors, deputy directors and Director Generals of different wings and departments of the ministry along with their staff members will also be performing Haj and are part of the list.

The list, in addition, mentions over 22 people as upper division clerks and lower division clerks who are expected to perform Haj this year. Further, district educational officers, district cooperative officers, assistant audit officers and district medical officers are also expected to be accompanying pilgrims as reflected in the list.

The Shehbaz government announced the Haj-2022package, putting the expenses during the holy journey to more than Rs850,000. While the government would provide a subsidy of Rs150,000 to help the intending pilgrims. Religious Affairs Minister Mufti Abdul Shakoor told a press conference that the federal cabinet had approved support amount of Rs150,000 for pilgrims, after which the total cost of the Haj package would come down to just over Rs700,000.

Considering 0.85 million rupees as cost of Haj for one person, the total amount for 200 people is estimated around 170 million rupees, which the Government of Pakistan will pay from public exchequer.