Rules relaxed for Pakistani Haj operators

By SHAHEEN NAZAR | ARAB NEWS

JEDDAH: Saudi rules governing Pakistan’s private Haj tour operators have been temporarily relaxed.

The Kingdom has exempted them from having to register with the International Air Transport Association (IATA) for two years. The requirement had created a problem for tour operators who were not actually travel agents and were not eligible for IATA registration.

Pakistani Religious Affairs Minister Syed Hamid Saeed Kazmi, who had just returned from a weeklong official visit to Saudi Arabia, announced the news in Islamabad.

Pakistan sends 160,000 Haj pilgrims each year, with government and private operators equally sharing the quota.

According to Fayyaz Siddiqi of Jeddah’s Hajeej Travel, which deals with Pakistani pilgrims, almost 80 percent of Pakistani Haj operators are not travel agents, making it difficult for the Saudi government to deal with them in accordance with international rules.

While in the Kingdom, Kazmi discussed the arrangements for Haj 2010 with relevant Saudi officials, including the head of the Establishment for South Asian Pilgrims Adnan Katib.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Ministry of Religious Affairs will be responsible for Pakistanis coming to the Kingdom to perform Umrah this year, the Saudi Haj Ministry announced on Friday. All Saudi Umrah service-providing companies have been notified in this regard.

Adnan Hariri, acting director for Umrah companies at the Haj Ministry, said the Pakistani ministry had requested this responsibility in an official letter from its undersecretary. He asked Umrah companies to inform their agents and representatives in Pakistan of this new development.

Comments

ZAIN NOORANI

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ASSALAM-O-ALAIKUM :
Well, its a good development for the tour operators in Pakistan but the time of 2 years given by the Saudi religious ministry should not be wasted by the concerned authorities in Pakistan and they should make a clear cut and long term policy regarding Haj and Umrah and fake tour operators to repair the damage that have been done to the name of Pakistan in recent times.

ABUDOSAMA

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The policy is good for Pakistan Hajj Organisers but Ministary of Religious Affairs - Pakistan is using it as a tool against many tour operator in an Advertisement MORA trend is clear discrininatory under which it has announced that 99 Hajj Organisers (who won the case after 5 year struggle) must be IATA Registerd & must have MUNAZ'ZAM Card which are only issued by the MOSASA (after 5 Shaw'wal) after receiving recognition letter from Pakistani Govt duly attested by Saudi Counsolate at Pakistan. Pakistani MORA has open a new channel for bribe. Which exist in all courridore of Pakistan. Which has caused the Hajj Expencess tremendouly out of the reach of retired persons of Pakistan those who want that they should perform hajj out of thier pension.

NAEEM JADOON

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Indeed Pakistan Ministry of Religious Affairs must know the problem of Pakistani tour operators and keep trying to give them further relexation of atleast 5 years or forever, and must imposed restrictions on fake Hajj or Umrah operators who making Pakistan name in bad books overseas, and must check the history of tour operators who are applying for licence or doing in past, as many Hajjis have complain from many tour operators once Hajjis enterd in K.S.Arabia, e,g, their living standard, meals, ziarah etc are not as per agreements, as myself feel many problem with them as i hv visited 3 times for Hajj and 1 time for umrah. Hope Hjj Ministry must act on this request as its responsibility of all (Hajj ministry as well as private tour operators), and i condemend against all those who are playing with hajjis coz all hajjis are Allah's guests.
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