A great has been taken by the Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman Al Saud who has agreed to eradicate the extra Umrah tax of 2000 Riyals forced on Pakistanis who want to perform Umrah every year.
This revelation was made by the Secretary of Religious Affairs while briefing the Senate Standing Committee on Religious Affairs on the Haj Operations 2018.
According to Secretary of Religious Affairs, the crown prince agreed to end the tax of 2000 Riyals upon the request of Prime Minister Imran Khan during his recent visit to Saudi Arabia.
Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, current chairman of the committee said that he had been getting complaints about the Saudi administration charging a tax of 2000 Riyals on Pakistanis if they want to perform more than one Umrah within two years.
This action was discriminatory and the government should take up this matter with the Saudi authorities, Maulana Abdul Ghafoor added.
In response to this, the secretary stated that the treatment was not biased as it was enforced to every one, no matter from where they come from. It was imposed on the people of all around the world.
Must Read: Pakistani player Mohammad Abbas breaks another record
Moreover, he told the committee that the reason behind imposing this tax was to put off repeated Umrah by a few people. But, the Saudi government eliminated the tax on the people coming from Turkey and Egypt upon the request of these two countries.
Now, the Prime Minister Imran Khan made the same request in his recent visit to the Kingdom and the Saudi administration agreed to remove the tax. He also declared that the Kingdom will notify the waiver soon.
On the other hand, some members of the committee pass judgments on the move saying that this tax removal will only favor a few people. The conference also involved Hajj Operations 2018. In which the secretary also declared that the ministry of religious affairs will start the preparation for Hajj operations 2019 in January.
According to chairman as he performed Hajj almost every year so he observed that every time the mismanagement comes from Pakistan’s side.
