The Senate Standing Committee on Religious Affairs and Inter-faith Harmony, chaired by Senator Atta-ur-Rehman, met here on Tuesday to discuss the Hajj Policy for 2025.

The officials apprised the committee that a Hajj quota of 179,000 has been allocated for the year 2025, and it has been divided equally between the government and the private sector, including 50,000 sponsorship seats for the government and 30,000 for the private sector.

It was further apprised that as of now, the government has received 81,075 applications, and the government has also introduced a Short Hajj spanning 20 to 25 days. However, private organizations are allowed to take no fewer than 2,000 Hujjaj.

Additionally, the Ministry has introduced a test for ‘Muwayeen’ to examine their ability, with a condition of one Muwaen for every 100 Hujjaj. Moreover, the Saudi Government has directed that a boy aged below 12 years is not allowed to perform Hajj.

While discussing the concerns of the Hajj Organizers Association of Pakistan (HOAP), the officials informed that the government has introduced a cluster system comprising 40 to 45 private organizations to fulfill the Saudi Government’s requirement of 2,000 Hujjaj for private organizations.

The government has also introduced a Service Provider Agreement, but the HOAP has acquired a stay order from the Sindh High Court against it.

The committee directed the HOAP to get the stay order vacated and comply with the Service Provider Agreement within the next 48 hours.

Furthermore, the committee took up the matter of the mosque constructed by the Capital Development Authority (CDA) and located in Park Enclave.

Additional Deputy Commissioner Maheen Baloch stated that the mosque should be handed over to Auqaf Management so that the Waqf Manager could be appointed as per the law.

The residents, who have been managing the mosque for the last 10 months as per CDA’s directions, pleaded that the Waqf Manager should be appointed from among the society’s residents.

The committee recommended that the Waqf Manager should be appointed among the residents. The committee was also briefed on the death of a 14-year-old Hindu boy during the 555th Birth rituals of Baba Guru Nanak.

The officials stated that the incident occurred due to poor management, however, the Ministry is investigating the matter, and the alleged individuals will be penalized as per the law.

The committee recommended that compensation of Rs2.5 million each be given to the aggrieved family by the Evacuee Trust Board and Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, and the report of the findings should be submitted within three weeks.