LAHORE - Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Assembly Hamza Shehbaz Sharif has criticised the government for increasing the Haj fares

“The mindboggling increase made in the official rate of Haj Package for the current year, demonstrates priorities of the PTI government where it has regrettably, also made performance of hajj a means of doing business,” he said.

He added while taking decision on increasing the Haj fares, the government even did not consider the fact that how poor people go to perform Haj through their life-long small savings.

He said the government step to increase the price is as good as depriving those poor of their lifelong savings which they do to perform this religious obligation.

He said the constitution of Pakistan also requires the government to act according to religious obligations.

Hamza said the time has proved that the PTI government only knows how to snatch away relief from the masses. He resolved to raise this issue on floor of the house as a matter of protecting rights of the masses.

The federal cabinet on Thursday approved Haj policy 2019, announcing more than 60 percent increase in the Haj cost.

Under the new policy, cost for the northern zone will be Rs436,975 and Rs427,975 for the southern zone.

Minister for Religious Affairs Noorul Haq Qadri reportedly walked out of the cabinet meeting when the subsidy was not approved. Briefing the journalists after the federal cabinet meeting here, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said that people of the ages 80 years and above will be able to perform Haj without the need to enter a draw.

“People who have been unsuccessful for three consecutive years will not be required to enter into the draw. The government has reserved 10,000 seats for senior citizens,” he said.

The minister said that direct Haj flights from Quetta, Faisalabad and biometrics in far-flung areas have been introduced.

In 2018, pilgrims from northern zone paid Rs280,000 and from southern zone Rs270,000 – amounting to 64 percent and 63 percent increase, respectively.

Chaudhry said that the government had decided against giving subsidy on the Haj due to the economic challenges. He said that about 184,000 Pakistani pilgrims will have the opportunity to perform Haj this year. He said that 500 Hujjaj (pilgrims) slots had been allocated to the low-income people.

He said that Prime Minister Imran Khan had changed the direction of the foreign policy with bold decisions.

This week, Pakistan urged the world to revisit their travel advisories after Islamabad introduced a liberal visa policy.

Talking to the media after opening a Kashmir exhibition at the Qaddafi Stadium, JI chief Sirajul Haq said the government promising building Pakistan on the model of Madinah state is not ready to provide subsidy to the Haj pilgrims.  He said that  if India, Bangladesh and Afghanistan were not burdening their Hajis with additional expenses, why the Pakistani rulers were doing that . He said that Afghanistan, a war torn country, was providing facilities to its Hajjis whereas the Pakistan government was curtailing facilities to its Hajis.

Earlier, while inaugurating the Kashmir exhibition, Siraj urged the government to make serious efforts for its solution.

He said that while Sri Nagar was alive, Islamabad looked a marble graveyard and the Pakistani rulers were deaf, dumb and blind over the blood of the Kashmiri mothers, daughters and sisters being shed there.

The Indian troops had martyred around ninety five thousand Kashmiris since 1990 but the Pakistani rulers were begging for friendship and trade with India. The JI chief said the rulers’ treatment towards the Kashmiris was step-motherly. He said he had talked to the ambassador from European other western countries in Islamabad and they had pointed out that the Pakistan government was not keen for the solution of Kashmir issue. He said Pakistan had been a member of the UN Security Council for five years but it made no effort at the international level for the solution of this issue. He said the entire opposition was ready to support the government on the Kashmir issue but it was serious in this regard.

He urged the government to convene an OIC meeting in Muzaffar Abad and convince all  Muslim states for a joint line of action for the grant of the right of self determination for the Kashmiris. He said that New Delhi should be given a categorical message that nothing except the Kashmir issue could be discussed.

He said the US which had thrust a war on the Afghans along with 36 other countries was now begging the Afghans for dialogue as the Afghans had proved that no worldly power and arms could defeat the power of   faith. However, he said, the Pakistani rulers were not ready to learn this lesson.