ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday sought clarification from the Ministry of Religious Affairs, headed by a close aide of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazl ur-Rehman, after a press report claimed 200 staff members of the ministry will perform Haj this year on government expense.
A list of 200 officials — over two dozen of whom staff the office of minister Abdul Shakoor — of the division has been finalised for the pilgrimage, it emerged. The trip for these individuals would cost Rs170 million of the taxpayer’s money, a report published in The News said.
The staff from Abdul Shakoor’s office includes five drivers, four security personnel, one cook and 11 secretaries and assistants.
The list purportedly includes names of friends and family of the minister. The minister himself will also perform the pilgrimage.
The News report quoted a ministry spokesperson as saying the staff of the ministry goes every year to help pilgrims during Haj. “Staff like drivers and gunmen are tagged along for help in works such as carrying luggage, etc,” the spokesperson said.
Responding to the development on Tuesday, Sharif’s Focal Person on Digital Media Muhammad Abubakar Umer said the prime minister has sought an explanation from the minister over the matter.
“It is a usual practice to send some staff of the Ministry of Religious Affairs to serve the pilgrims, but this report paints it in a bad light for which an explanation has been sought,” Umer said in a tweet.
وزیراعظم پاکستان نے وزارت مذہبی امور سے اس خبر پر وضاحت طلب کی ہے۔ حجاج کی مدد کے لیے معمول کے مطابق وزارت مذہبی امور کا کچھ عملہ روانہ کیا جاتا ہے۔ لیکن اس خبر سے مختلف تاثر مل رہا ہے جس کی وضاحت طلب کی گئی ہے۔ https://t.co/Svu42GfZvT
— Abubakar Umer (@abubakarumer) June 7, 2022
Earlier this month, Minister Abdul Shakoor told a press conference the federal cabinet had approved a support amount of Rs150,000 per head for pilgrims following which the total cost of the package would come down to a little over Rs700,000.
