Islamabad:
The High Court of Islamabad (IHC) won Petitions Tuesday contesting the distribution of private hajj quotas. A group of tour operators withdrew from the case, saying that their names had been included without approval.
Judge Muhammad Azam Khan published opinions at the Ministry of Religious Affairs and other respondents after the first arguments arguing that the allocation of quotas through the Association of Hajj Association of Pakistan (HOAP) was illegal. The judge then made a written order.
Some 12 operators have submitted separate requests to withdraw from the case, indicating to the court that their names had been added without their consent or their knowledge.
Read: There are only 3,500 seats left in the Hajj quota
Represented by lawyer Chaudhry Usama Tariq, they asked the court to hit their names from the list of petitioners. The court accepted their requests.
Previously, the petitioner lawyers argued that the federal government violated the 2024 Hajj and Omrah Regulations law. They asked for the restoration of the 50%private hajj quota, the priority for pilgrims who missed in 2025 for the 2026 pilgrimage and the exclusion of sove of administrative material.
Defenders Sheikh Khizer Rasheed and Shaheena Shahab appeared on behalf of the petitioners. They argued that the government’s distribution mechanism lacked legality and transparency.
The court ordered all the respondents to submit written answers before the next hearing.
