The ‘Pak Hajj App,’ through which online monitoring of all Hajj-related activities

MAKKAH AL-MUKARRAMAH,  : The innovative approach adopted to bring together all the wings and departments of the Pakistan Hajj Mission under the DG Facilitation Cell and Complaint Management System seems to be effectively working in the overall Hajj operation for 2024.

The ‘Pak Hajj App,’ through which online monitoring of all Hajj-related activities is performed, has received an overwhelming response in a short span of time, with over 70,000 active intending Pakistani Hajj pilgrims registered so far.

Through this online service, the Ministry of Religious Affairs has received more than 20,000 complaints, which have been resolved and disposed of in an efficient manner.

The Pak Hajj App provides all the required information, including personal details of Hujjaj, group information, Mehram details, helper information, additional facilities, Hajj dues, nominee information, bank account details, and training schedules.

Commenting on the role of the DG Facilitation Cell and Complaint Management System, its in-charge Muhammad Ahmed Usmani told APP that it was established this year for improved coordination among all wings and departments of the Pakistan Hajj Mission to extend maximum facilities to intending Pakistani pilgrims.

“It is greatly helping in the timely redressal of complaints of pilgrims and their proper guidance to minimize any inconvenience to them,” he said.

The Facilitation Cell, he added, has a three-member National Information Technology Board (NITB) team of software engineers, mandated with removing technical glitches faced at the Hajj portal and improving system efficiency and quality as per requirements.

Moreover, Usmani mentioned that a five-member team was available at the call center to deal with the complaints received on the portal, under a robust system of redressing grievances of the pilgrims.

He explained that complaints could be lodged through the Pak Hajj App and WhatsApp, or by calling the Pakistan Hajj Mission’s helpline toll-free numbers: 00923376510003, 00923376510004, 00923376510005, and 00923063332555.

Answering a question, he said the nature of complaints mostly related to accommodation, split families, room maintenance, lack of amenities, misplaced luggage, and lost and found.

Deputy Director/In-charge NITB Development Team Makkah, Muhammad Awais, said the Ministry of Religious Affairs & Interfaith Harmony and the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication have jointly launched an online Pak Hajj App, containing centralized data of all Pakistani pilgrims. “It is a huge success for the Pakistan government. We have more than 70,000 active users on it and 80,000 downloads.”

He said all Hajj pilgrims from both government and private Hajj schemes could log in to the app, which has as one of its salient features the “Complaint Management and Monitoring System.”

Under the Complaint Management and Monitoring System, he noted, all Hujjaj are just a click away from registering any kind of complaint, adding that all complaints are handled under a vibrant ecosystem, routing them in real-time to the concerned officers. “As soon as a complaint is lodged, it appears on the dashboard/mobile phone screen within no time, with the proper zone officer concerned monitoring it live.”

Similarly, he mentioned that the two ministries introduced an online app ‘Hajj Moavineen’ under which all supporting staff’s real-time monitoring is performed from their place of deployment, “with visibility to all high-ups.”

It has multiple features including searching for a ‘Haji,’ lost and found luggage or pilgrims, gifts distribution, and medical treatment, Awais said, adding, “All the features are run by scanning the QR code of the Haji’s identity card, which contains all the required details of the pilgrims.”

“We are getting great feedback from the Hujjaj about the online applications, which is a source of great satisfaction and motivation for us. All the information is available on a single platform where notifications are sent to them. All maps are integrated, which greatly helps in finding missing Haji.”

He sought suggestions from active users to make the platform more effective in serving the guests of Allah Almighty in an efficient manner