Ministry contradicts news report

Published January 13, 2003

ISLAMABAD, Jan 12: A spokesman for the ministry for religious affairs, Zakat and Ushr on Sunday contradicted a news item that alleged that the prime minister has allowed more than 8,000 intending pilgrims holding fictitious documents of self-hired accommodation to perform Haj on the intervention of MMA leadership.

The spokesman clarified that only 2,886 genuine cases of ‘serious hardship’ of the intending pilgrims from Balochistan had been cleared by the ministry with the approval of the prime minister.

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