Islamabad:
Islamabad High Court (IHC) took on Tuesday petitions that challenged the distribution of private Hajj quotas. A group of tour operators withdrew from the case and claimed their names were included without approval.
Justice Muhammad Azam Khan issued messages to the Ministry of Religious Affairs and other respondents following initial arguments claiming that the allocation of quotas through Hajj organizers Association of Pakistan (HOAP) was illegal. The judge later issued a written order.
About 12 operators filed separate applications to withdraw from the case and told the court that their names had been added without their consent or knowledge.
Read: Only 3,500 seats are back in Hajj -Quot
Represented by lawyer Chaudhry Usama Tariq, they asked the court to beat their names from the list of the petitions. The court accepted their requests.
Earlier, the attorneys’ lawyers claimed that the federal government violated the law of Hajj and Umrah rules 2024. They sought restoration of private Hajj -quota to 50 percent, prioritized for pilgrims missed in 2025 for pilgrimage in 2026 and exclusion of Hoap from administrative affairs.
Attorneys Sheikh Khizer Rasheed and Shaheena Shahab appeared on behalf of the petries. They claimed that the government’s quota distribution mechanism lacked legality and transparency.
The court has ordered all respondents to submit written answers before the next consultation.
