ISLAMABAD, Jul 6: Haj accommodation cost in Saudi Arabia will go up by 15 per cent from next year as the Ministry of Religious Affairs has increased accommodation space for every Pakistani pilgrim. Secretary Religious Affairs Wakil Ahmed Khan on Wednesday informed the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) that the space earmarked for every Pakistani pilgrim in Makkah and Madina had been increased from 3 square meters to 3.5 square meters.

“This will increase the accommodation cost by 15 per cent from next year,” Wakil Ahmed said. He said the same space, which used to be occupied by higher number of pilgrims, would now accommodate lesser number of Hajis which was the reason behind increase in the accommodation charges.

Member PAC Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri said every year Pakistani pilgrims faced many difficulties due to insufficient arrangements by the ministry in Saudi Arabia.

He particularly mentioned the pilgrims getting stuck at the Jeddah Airport for hours awaiting clearance by the Saudi custom officials.

Haideri said the Hajis were made to pay the Haj expenses six to eight months in advance on which the ministry received interest from financial institutions.

The secretary said that next year 45,000 pilgrims would go directly to Madina as its governor had assured that they would be cleared by the Saudi custom officials in an hour time.

He said waiting time for pilgrims at Jeddah airport was currently between two to eight hours and the Pakistani government could not do anything to improve the situation.

Replying to a point raised by Maulana Haideri that Haj policy this year hads not been announced, the secretary said last year it was announced for a period of next five years.

He however, said that minor adjustments would be made in it according to the situation which might arise from time to time.

The PAC took strong note of Rs952,472 spent between 1995-97 from the Pilgrims Welfare Fund (PWF) on the Haj expenses of the then prime minister, ministers and the officials of the ministry.

According to the audit objections, the ministry had also withdrawn Rs1,401,150 from the PWF for departmental expenditures.

In 1995, the ministry spent Rs40,543 on a 16-member Haj delegation out of PWF. Rs1,320,199 were spent from PWF during 1994 to 2001 for payments to employees of the ministry.

Chairman PAC Malik Allah Yar Khan asked the secretary to recover all the amounts on which the audit had raised objections.

The main source of PWF is receipt of Rs450 from each Haj applicant. The fund is supposed to be spent on the welfare of the Pakistani pilgrims in Saudi Arabia, he added.—APP