LAHORE - The Travel Agents Association of Pakistan (TAAP) on Wednesday demanded the Saudi government withdraw the biometrics being enforced for Umrah and business visas with effect from Safar 1 (November 27 or 28) for all Pakistanis.
“The company (Etimad) which has been designated to perform the biometrics doesn’t have the capacity to handle all the 500,000 people who go to Saudi Arabia every year to perform Umrah, and its failure to fulfil this requirement will deprive a large number of people of the opportunity to proceed on the holy journey,” TAAP Chairman Muhammad Iqbal said in a statement. He claimed the Hajj Organisers Association of Pakistan and the Pakistan Overseas Employment Promoters Association also supported this demand.
Iqbal said the Saudi government had the right to introduce any system for the visa seekers, but the biometrics could not be enforced single-handedly by the Etimad, the company given the task. In case the Saudi authorities were not willing to take back this condition, the system should be installed at all international airports of Pakistan, the TAAP chief said.
The TAAP has 1,500 members across the country. According to Iqbal, no TAAP member would process any case unless the demand was met. He claimed the same restriction had been imposed by the Saudi government for Indian, Bangladeshi and Iranian citizens, but it was withdrawn as the governments of all these countries had refused to accept it. He urged the Foreign Ministry of Pakistan to take up the matter with the Saudi authorities to save the intending Umrah pilgrims from unnecessary hassles.

 The biometrics, he said, would seriously affect the TAAP business.