Crackdown launched against unauthorized Hajj bookings

ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony has launched a crackdown against firms involved in unauthorized Hajj bookings.

Special teams of the Ministry has started punitive action against “Fifth Pillar Family Takaful Limited” involved in illegal booking of Hajj, said the spokesperson of the Ministry here Wednesday.

He said FIA is investigating the fake company for unauthorized activities and actions will be taken accordingly.

He clarified that no takaful company was allowed to book Hajj and Umrah. Be cautious of companies like Fifth Pillar Takaful.

the spokesperson asked people to verify their details on the Ministry’s website before booking for Hajj or Umrah.

Earlier, Caretaker Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Dr Aneeq Ahmed declared a significant reduction of 0.1 million rupees in government Hajj expenses while ensuring uncompromised facilities.

Notably, the pilgrims will receive a 30kg suitcase each and female pilgrims will receive scarfs (Abaya) featuring the national flag, a first-time provision.

In separately development, Pakistan decided to surrender the quota of the Hajj sponsorship scheme this year to Saudi Arabia as applications fell short of the available seats.

The government has allocated 25,000 seats in the ‘Sponsorship Scheme Hajj’, introduced by the government this year, allowing overseas Pakistanis to apply for Hajj or sponsor someone in Pakistan for the journey by paying in US dollars. In return, applicants would not have to participate in the balloting process.