ISLAMABAD, Aug 20 (APP):Parliamentary Secretary for Defence Division Raja Osama Sarwar on Thursday informed the National Assembly that a Hajj flight to Jeddah was delayed due to technical reasons, affecting the schedule of four subsequent flights. Responding to a question during Question Hour, he said the technical issue with the Jeddah-bound flight had disrupted the overall flight schedule, resulting in delays to four other flights. He said the matter had …
Technical issue caused delay in Hajj flights, parliamentary secretary tells NA
ISLAMABAD, Aug 20 (APP):Parliamentary Secretary for Defence Division Raja Osama Sarwar on Thursday informed the National Assembly that a Hajj flight to Jeddah was delayed due to technical reasons, affecting the schedule of four subsequent flights.
Responding to a question during Question Hour, he said the technical issue with the Jeddah-bound flight had disrupted the overall flight schedule, resulting in delays to four other flights.
He said the matter had been taken up with the relevant authorities. The officials responsible for the arrangements would be identified and presented before the appropriate board for consideration.
Responding to a supplementary question, the parliamentary secretary said around 50,000 pilgrims had been transported under the Hajj arrangements, while approximately 3,000 to 4,000 pilgrims faced difficulties due to the flight delays.
He said a flight scheduled to take off from Jeddah had been grounded due to technical reasons, causing delays to four other flights.
He said the government had made arrangements for pilgrims who were stranded due to the disruption.
He said those waiting for around 40 hours were provided with food, including two meals a day, as well as tea and other necessary assistance.
He rejected the impression that the delays were caused by deliberate mismanagement. He said the disruption resulted from the technical issue and efforts were made to minimise inconvenience to the pilgrims.
The parliamentary secretary said the concerns raised by lawmakers would be examined. The relevant authorities would also be asked to provide specific details about the difficulties faced by pilgrims.
Federal Minister for Defence Khawaja Muhammad Asif, while giving his input, endorsed a suggestion to improve the allocation and coordination of Hajj flights among airlines to avoid inconvenience to pilgrims.
Khawaja Asif said the suggestion was valid and should be considered in future arrangements for Hajj flights.
Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Sardar Muhammad Yousaf, responding to the issue, said Hajj pilgrims were transported through Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) and Saudi Airlines.
He said other airlines were also involved in transporting pilgrims, although their share was comparatively smaller. In previous years, the government had allocated pilgrims among different airlines, he added.
The minister said a major portion of the Hajj operation was shared between PIA and Saudi Airlines, with the allocation generally divided equally between the two carriers.
Referring to the recent flight delays, Sardar Yousaf said the government had always issued clear instructions to ensure that pilgrims faced no inconvenience during the Hajj operation.
He said as soon as the issue arose, the Ministry of Religious Affairs took timely notice and contacted the concerned airline to address the matter.
He added that he had also personally contacted the relevant minister to discuss the issue and ensure that necessary measures were taken to facilitate the affected pilgrims.
