LAHORE: Rejecting an allegation levelled by a petitioner that the government is misreporting the death toll of Pakistani pilgrims in the Mina stampede, the Ministry of Religious Affairs urged the Lahore High Court on Tuesday to reprimand the petitioner for ‘exaggerating’ the figure and trying to strain the ‘sensitive relationship’ between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.

In a written reply to the petition filed by a citizen accusing the government of hiding facts about the death of Pakistani pilgrims, the ministry said the entire administration in Mina was under the direct control of the Saudi government to an extent that all countries were barred from even setting up their medical camps inside the area.

It said Pakistan’s directorate general of Haj in Jeddah had deployed its teams at various places in Mina for guidance of the missing pilgrims. This was the only legal work they were allowed by the Saudi administration.

The ministry said the petitioner’s claim that 236 Pakistani pilgrims had died in the stampede demonstrated a lack of awareness and malice against the government. It maintained that 75 Pakistani pilgrims had lost their lives and 47 suffered injuries. Twenty-six pilgrims are still missing.

The reply stated that the number and details of casualties had been given after verification and also posted at the ministry’s website.

The ministry requested the court to dismiss the petition and admonish the petitioner for trying to damage sensitive relationship between the governments of Saudi Arabia and Pakistan on such a tragedy for his “personal publicity only”.

Justice Ayesha A. Malik adjourned the hearing to Thursday (Oct 8) and directed the petitioner’s counsel to file a rejoinder.

In his petition, Arif Idrees alleged that the authorities at the Ministry of Religious Affairs were misleading the public about the death toll and whereabouts of the missing pilgrims.

He said international media reported that 236 Pakistani pilgrims had died in the Mina tragedy, but the ministry officials were trying to “hide the actual death toll”.

He accused the Director General of Haj, Abu Akaf, of hiding facts to “cover his corruption”.

Published in Dawn, October 7th, 2015

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