ISLAMABAD Jan 25: Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali has approved all the 18,811 disputed Haj applications under Open Haj Scheme to end the ongoing wrangling between the ministry of religious affairs and the stakeholders, official sources told Dawn on Saturday.
The PM directed the ministry to get visas for the applicants from the Saudi embassy immediately.
Earlier, the government had ordered an inquiry into the scandal involving some of the ministry officials in the delay in acceptance of these applications on the grounds that they were without sufficient documents to indicate availability of residence in Saudi Arabia.
An official of the ministry claimed that the residential certificates submitted along with Haj applications under the scheme were fictitious and could create problems for the officials during the Haj days.
Under an agreement with the Saudi government, a total of 125,000 intending pilgrims had to submit passports in the Saudi embassy, but the number exceeded by 13,811 which ultimately got stuck in the ministry. Aside from this, 5,000 more applications under the scheme were also pending for a decision.
The prime minister, in the meantime, made a special request to the Saudi prince Abdullah for allowing an additional quota of 10,000 Haj pilgrims. The request was granted.
However, this figure had not been added to the original list of 125,000 applicants approved by the ministry.
Since the ministry expressed its inability to allow the additional applicants to enter through Madina, these 13,811 applications got held up.
The prime minister, however, intervened in the matter on the demand of religio-political leaders and signed the summary presented to him before leaving for a five-nation tour on Friday.
Meanwhile, a delegation of Jamaat-i-Islami led by its MNA Mian Mohammad Aslam held a meeting with the officials of the ministry on Saturday morning. They were assured that the matter would be resolved amicably.
The delegation included MNAs Shabbir Ahmed Khan, Sabir Awan, Mohammad Usman from the NWFP and Mohammad Hanif Abbasi from Rawalpindi.
Mian Aslam told newsmen that the party chief, Qazi Hussain Ahmed, had contacted the prime minister and Saudi ambassador on telephone and requested them to solve the problem.
