Saudi prince’s charges against ministry referred to FO

SC tells govt to take up embezzlement matter after Saudi prince points out financial irregularities.

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday told the government to take up the Religious Affairs Ministry embezzlement matter up to the national level after a Saudi prince pointed out financial irregularities in the Hajj scheme of Pakistan's Ministry of Religious Affairs in a letter to the Chief Justice of Pakistan, Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.

The SC has also directed the Foreign Office to contact the Saudi government over this issue.

Prince Khalid Bin Bandar Bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud, in the letter accused the minister for Religious Affairs of embezzlement and has recommended that the court take notice of the issue.

Under the Religious Affairs’ ministry’s Hajj scheme, the pilgrims were charged more for the residences rented by the ministry near Makkah and Madina, the letter states.

Prince Khalid said that the ministry rented residences for pilgrims during Hajj for up to 3,600 riyals while the prices are actually around 1,500 riyals, adding that he had offered lower rates to the ministry but his quotation was rejected.

The Supreme Court has taken suo-moto notice of the issue and the Apex Court has asked for a reply from the ministry within 15 days.

However, the Federal Minister for Religious Affairs, Hamid Saeed Kazmi, while addressing a National Assembly session earlier today (Wednesday) said that he had not been made aware of the letter by his ministry.

Kazmi said that he had not received a notification from the court.

Meanwhile, a three-member committee, on the directives of Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani, has been formed to probe the allegeations of misappropriation of funds by the Religious Affairs ministry.

Earlier, the Senate and Parliamentary Committee on Religious Affairs expressed their reservations over the costly residences.

The DG Hajj, Rao Shakeel, was also called back over corruption charges of millions of rupees and suspended by the federal government on the advice of the committee.

Ministry of Religious Affairs terms letter fake

The Ministry of Religious Affairs has termed the letter being attributed to the Saudi prince as fake. The secretary said that the Saudi prince cannot place such a complaint, adding that the ministry had received no offer from the Saudi prince.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 4th, 2010.