NA panel grills officials over Hajj contracts

The National Assembly's Standing Committee on Religious Affairs on Thursday expressed concern over the allocation of funds for minorities and questioned the repeated awarding of Hajj-related contracts to a single company. The meeting, chaired by MNA Shagufta Jamani, reviewed multiple agenda items, including minority welfare funds and administrative matters related to Hajj operations. During the session, Dr Nelson Azeem raised concerns over the "reduction in funds" allocated for minorities, questioning how many temples or churches could be renovated with Rs10 million. The committee declared Rs85 million allocated for minorities insufficient and recommended increasing the amount to at least Rs500 million in the next budget. The Ministry of Religious Affairs secretary stated that although the ministry annually requests higher allocations for minority welfare, it receives limited funds. The committee decided to write to the prime minister, the cabinet and the finance ministry to seek an enhanced allocation for minority welfare programmes. Dr Azeem also pointed out "disparities" in academic marking, saying Muslim students receive 20 marks for memorisation (Hifz), while non-Muslim students do not benefit from a similar provision. He called for a "fair distribution of marks". The committee also questioned the awarding of Hajj-related contracts in Saudi Arabia to the same company for the fourth consecutive year. Shagufta asked why a company previously placed on a blacklist was repeatedly granted contracts, including for Hajj accommodations and demanded that the religious affairs minister explain the matter in the next meeting.

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