By our correspondent
ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Religious Affairs has proposed that each member of parliament be allocated a Hajj quota for ten individuals. The recommendation came during a meeting chaired by PPP lawmaker Shagufta Jamani, with Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Sardar Yousaf participating online.
PPP’s Jamani suggested that each MP should submit the names of ten pilgrims on official letterhead to the ministry. She emphasized that every committee member should have the authority to send people for Hajj without the allocation being labelled as a “quota,” allowing MPs to facilitate their constituents while earning spiritual reward.
Meanwhile, the critics said the move reinforced the perception that Pakistan belonged only to its political elite. They argued that even religious rituals were not spared. They said politicians were demanding free privileges not just for themselves but also for their families and friends, as a quota of 10 Hajj seats was allocated to each of them every year.
The current cost of Hajj for a single Pakistani pilgrim is about Rs1.25 million. If parliamentarians are granted a quota of 10 pilgrims annually, the total would rise to 50 pilgrims over a five-year term. Critics said this would cost the public exchequer up to Rs6.25 million per parliamentarian during a single term. They added that this effectively allowed lawmakers to send relatives and associates to perform Hajj at the expense of Pakistani taxpayers.
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