Hajj quota: Khursheed Shah summoned

Petitioners say they were denied quota when they approached ministry.

LAHORE:

The Lahore High Court on Friday summoned the Minister for Religious Affairs Syed Khursheed Ahmad Shah for October 2 for denying Hajj quota to new tour operators, despite earlier court orders and assurances given by the ministry’s secretary.

Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial directed the minister to appear in person on contempt petitions moved by several new Hajj Group Organisers.

At the last hearing, Religious Affairs Secretary Chaudhry Azam Samma had assured the court that quota would be allotted to new tour operators by September 28 (Friday) after verification of eligibility.

He had informed the court that the ministry had decided to allot quota to 30 new Hajj Group Organisers in compliance with court orders.

When the hearing resumed on Friday, the petitioners’ counsel Azhar Siddique informed the court that his clients had been denied quota when they had approached the ministry.

He said the petitioners had been told by the authorities concerned that Federal Minister Khursheed Shah had restrained them from giving quota to new organisers.

He requested that the court initiate contempt proceedings against the minister.

Deputy Attorney General Nasim Kashmiri, when questioned by the chief justice, said he was unaware of such instructions.

Kashmiri opposed initiation of contempt proceedings against the minister and said public office holders enjoyed immunity from contempt proceedings under Article 248(1) of the Constitution.

The petitioners’ counsel said the Supreme Court had ruled that no public office holder had immunity from contempt proceedings under the said article.

Counsel for the Ministry of Religious Affairs Imtiaz Ahmed Siddiqui then informed the chief justice that an additional secretary had, on September 26, forwarded a summary to Syed Khursheed Shah for giving quota to new Hajj group organisers.

The minister had returned the summary, advising him to challenge the decision before the apex court, Siddiqui added.

The petitioners’ counsel said that the ministry had neither obtained a stay order from the apex court nor filed an intra-court appeal against the Lahore High Court decision of June 6.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 29^th, 2012.