ISLAMABAD: A senior official at Pakistan’s Hajj mission in Saudi Arabia said on Friday the authorities had put a robust evaluation system in place to assess the performance of support staff and service providers who were engaged to address the needs of the pilgrims.
The mission’s accommodation and transport director, Asghar Ali Yusufzai, told the state-owned Associated Press of Pakistan news agency the government would provide all possible facilities to Pakistani pilgrims, who are gradually beginning to reach Makkah to perform Hajj.
Yusufzai said there was zero tolerance for any negligence in performing duties, adding that everyone, including Hajj volunteers and contractors providing food, transport, and accommodation services, were required to give their best.
“There is a complete accountability system in place to check the accommodation, food, and transport services,” he continued. “Heavy fines will be imposed in case of any breach of agreement or poor service.”
He informed the Hajj mission had so far rented 141 residential buildings in three localities, including Al-Azizia, Batha Quraish and Al-Naseem neighborhoods. It had also engaged nine catering companies, out of which five had already started providing three-time quality meals to the pilgrims.
Yusufzai said 275 latest buses had been arranged for the movement of Pakistani pilgrims from the airport to their accommodations, for five-time prayer in the Grand Mosque and for other Hajj-related travel between Mina, Arafat, and Muzdalifah.
He informed there would be around 550 Hajj support staff from Pakistan in the kingdom by the end of the month when the number of pilgrims reaches almost the capacity.
