More than 50,000 Pakistani pilgrims lost the right to choose

IHRAM.CO.ID, ISLAMABAD – More than 50,000 Pakistanis who will perform the pilgrimage on July 25 will lose their right to vote. An official official hajj arrangement told The Express Tribune that there is currently no plan or mechanism designed to facilitate the pilgrimage of Pakistani pilgrims on polling day.

Hajj pilgrimage operations began on July 14th. It is estimated that more than 25,000 to 30,000 pilgrims on a government-led pilgrimage will visit Saudi Arabia on polling day. Similarly for pilgrims who make the pilgrimage under private management.

"Although the federal government before announcing the election date already knows that pilgrims will start flying to Saudi Arabia in mid-July, they do not consider and make no arrangements to facilitate pilgrims in this regard. "

In May of this year, a resolution was pbaded by Balochistan's Minister of the Interior, Sarfaraz Bugti, in which he demanded that elections be held in August instead of July. Because the majority of the public wants to make the pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia in July. Therefore, they will not be able to vote in the elections. But this important point is ignored by the government and the date of the election was officially announced.

"In a country like Pakistan where every vote is counted, this large population can not be ignored and steps must be taken to facilitate them in the voting process," said the official.

Meanwhile, the Sindh government canceled the Haj holiday for the employees. The spokesman of the Pakistan Election Commission, Altaf Ahmed, said he did not receive such an index to facilitate the pilgrim vote.

According to officials of the Ministry of Religious and Interfaith Affairs, from July 14 to today, 7,000 pilgrims under the leadership of the Hajj government from all over the country reached Saudi Arabia through 40 flights pilgrims.

Hajj air operations will continue until August 15 of this year. In addition, pilgrims benefit from adequate accommodation, transportation facilitation and a food three times better, the ministry added.