Hajj assistants' list includes brother, friend of federal minister: sources

ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Religious Affairs has rejected the Kyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government’s list of Hajj assistants and prepared its own 32-member list, which includes federal minister’s brother and friend, ARY News reported while quoting sources.

Sources have told ARY News that the Religious Ministry have rejected the KP government list of Hajj assistants. The KP government had recommended 35 government employees as Hajj assistants during the holy sojourn.

According to sources, the Religious Ministry has rejected the  KP government’s recommended names and sent its 32-member list to the government for approval.

The list includes names of brother and friend of Federal Minister Mufti Abdul Shakoor Shah, sources added. The new list, prepared on the recommended of federal minister, includes Ahmed Munir, brother of Mufti Abdul Shakoor, Pesh Imam (prayer leader) of MPA Hostel Peshawar and 11 policemen of KP.

Sources further claimed that the expenses of Hajj assistants are borne by the concerned provincial government and this is the first time that a federal government has rejected the list of the province.

Earlier, the Religious Ministry released the details of Hajj expenses this year, stating that the Hajj will cost Rs860,000 for Pakistanis, while the cost for southern part of the country will be Rs850,000.

Giving details about the expenditure on Hajj, Maulana Abdul Shakoor said that the accommodation in Mecca will cost Rs 112,000, while in Madinah it will cost Rs38,000. Under the Haj Policy, Rs45,000 (with Qurbani), has been fixed for individuals.