WHILE the government’s decision to slash Haj rates by Rs23,000 deserves to be welcomed, there are related issues that need to be sorted out to make the pilgrimage convenient for about 150,000 Pakistanis who will perform Haj this year. Nearly 47,000 of them will travel on the government quota, while the rest, which means the majority, will be handled by private operators. The final list of successful Haj applicants will be out soon, and as announced earlier there will be no balloting, for applications will be accepted on a first come, first served basis. Also, no one will be allowed to proceed on pilgrimage if he has performed Haj during the last five years. This is a welcome decision and should help provide Haj slots for applicants from lower income groups who miss it simply because the moneyed can afford many trips. Meanwhile, private companies that run what has become a lucrative Haj and umrah ‘business’ deserve close governmental monitoring because of complaints against them.

Ferrying Hajis from Pakistan to Saudi Arabia is easy; far more difficult is managing their proper stay by providing them adequate accommodation, food and possible medical help. Not all private operators perform these tasks well, for there have been complaints against the way they shortchange their clients. There is stiff competition for living space among millions of Hajis at Makkah, Madina and Mina, and unless arrangements are made well in advance by experienced, professional hands, their clients will face severe hardships. Private operators are selected by the religious ministry according to the marks they earn on the basis of their performance. Unfortunately, there have been allegations of favouritism. Last month, a National Assembly subcommittee found that 19 Haj operators had been given preferential treatment. While the incompetent among the Haj operators need to be blacklisted, the religious ministry first ought to put its own house in order: the scandal that led to the arrest of a federal minister following the 2010 Haj is still fresh in people’s memory.