New Act mandates licenses for Hajj, Umrah organizers in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: All Hajj and Umrah organizers will now require licenses to operate and must enter into a service provider agreement with the Ministry of Religious Affairs, Pakistan as new act announced, ARY News reported on Thursday.

The Ministry of Religious Affairs has announced that a new act aims to protect pilgrims from fraud and ensure better regulation of tour organizers, which will be enforced across Pakistan.

Under the act, if an organizer is found guilty of defrauding a pilgrim, the case will be handled by a Complaint Disposal Committee, comprised of senior officers of grade 20, and will investigate and issue punishments accordingly.

If dissatisfied with the decision, an appeal can be filed with an Appellate Committee, headed by 21 rank officers, however, if found guilty, the organizers may face blacklisting a specified period and other penalties.

The new regulations also allow the Ministry to compensate affected pilgrims.

The Ministry will implement a strict monitoring system for Hajj and Umrah operations and establish funds specifically for overseeing the operations.

These changes aim to ensure transparency, protect pilgrims, and improve service standards for both Hajj and Umrah.