PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court on Wednesday issued notices to federal finance and religious affairs secretaries seeking replies to a petition against the recent increase in Haj expenses due to the withdrawal of subsidy by the federal government.

A bench consisting of Justice Syed Afsar Shah and Justice Mohammad Ayub Khan also directed the secretaries to respond to a plea of the petitioner for ordering suspension of the government’s new Haj policy to the extent of increase in Haj expenses until the final disposal of the petition.

It fixed Mar 13 for next hearing into the petition filed by Peshawar resident Shamsher Khan, who requested the court to declare illegal and unconstitutional the government’s decision to abolish subsidy on Haj.

The petitioner also sought the court’s orders for respondents to disclose the actual cost of Haj by an individual.

Court asks govt to respond to petition against higher Haj expenses

He also pleaded the court to declare un-constitutional, illegal, unlawful and un-Islamic the Rs456,426 Haj charges fixed under the Haj Policy 2019.

Respondents in the petition are president of Pakistan through his principal secretary and secretaries for the religious affairs, finance, interior, foreign affairs, and cabinet divisions.

Noor Alam Khan, lawyer for the petitioner, said the government used to facilitate Hajis by offering them subsidy but the subsidy was withdrawn lately taking Haj expenses to round Rs456,426 per head, which were unaffordable for the people.

He said a number of Pakistani wouldn’t able to perform Haj due to the withdrawal of subsidy.

The lawyer said instead of taking steps to enable Muslims of Pakistan to order their lives in accordance with Islam, the respondents had creating hurdles in the way of common people for performing Haj.

He claimed that the Haj cost totaled Rs255,300 but the government charged pilgrims almost double that amount.

The lawyer said Haj expenses for a pilgrim came to around 6,900 Saudi riyals (around Rs255,300) and that was affordable for Pakistanis even if the government didn’t give them any subsidy. He regretted that the government charged pilgrims Rs456,426 each.

The lawyer said though neighbouring India was a secular country, its government gave Haj subsidy to Indian Muslims.

He said Pakistan came into being on basis of an Islamic ideology.

The lawyer said the basic objective of Pakistan’s creation was to establish an Islamic state for the Muslims of Subcontinent, where they could live life according to the principles and injunctions of Islam.

He said Pakistan was an ideological Islamic state and Article 31 of the Constitution made it binding on the State to take steps to enable its Muslims individually and collectively to live life in accordance with the fundamental principles and basic concepts of Islam.

Published in Dawn, February 21st, 2019