Islamabad:
The additional secretary of the Ministry of Religious Affairs has informed the Standing Committee of the National Assembly that an assistant of the Hajj will accompany every 150 pilgrims to provide assistance. In addition, the ministry saved four million Riyals in transport costs for Hajj pilgrims.
The meeting of the senatorial committee for religious affairs, chaired by Senator Attaler Rehman, was held to discuss Hajj’s arrangements and related issues. The additional secretary said that a supply committee of 12 members had been formed for Hajj arrangements.
The chairman of the Committee suggested including a parliamentarian within the purchasing committee, stressing that pilgrims face many problems each year.
Committee members have raised concerns about the Hajj assistant selection process through the National Testing Service (NTS), stressing that the NTS examination document was disclosed in the previous selection process. Senator Kamran Murtaza stressed that the disclosed paper was even broadcast in a video, which he claimed to have as proof.
In response, the additional secretary recognized isolated cheating incidents but defended the overall process as transparent and based on merit. He noted that, in the past, Hajj assistants have been appointed according to personal relationships and recommendations, when they have to take an exam.
NTS officials said that out of 50,000 candidates, only two or three had been captured with mobile phones during the test. However, Senator Bushra Butt criticized the NTS for failing to prevent cheating and the use of mobile phones during the exam. The chairman of the committee called for an in -depth investigation into the issue.
The additional secretary also declared that if there were allegations of financial corruption involving the NTS or the Ministry of Religious Affairs, they should be officially presented.
With regard to the AUQAF department, he informed the committee that the Supreme Court had ordered the transfer of land from AUQAF. According to the law, anyone occupying the ground until 2010 is considered a tenant. He added that the revenues generated from the properties of AUQAF are used for the maintenance of the Gurdwaras and the Temples.
Senator Ali Zafar noted that the Law Ministry had not yet responded to the bill on the modification of Muslim family law. He said that researchers from around the world are ready to provide a briefing on the bill via Zoom.
Senator Kamran Murtaza warned against the complication of marriage and divorce laws, stressing that marriage is a social contract.
The senator, Dr. Afnan Ullah Khan, warned that if the law is modified to include the division of goods in cases of divorce, people could avoid marriage, as was observed in Europe.
