Shehbaz Orders Inquiry into Hajj and Umrah Vaccination Contract

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has ordered a high-level inquiry into the contract for Hajj and Umrah vaccination services. A five-member committee will review vaccine prices, procurement procedures and financial arrangements, with findings due within 48 hours.

In this article we set out what the committee will look at, and the status of the allegations. Here is everything you need to know.

What the Hajj and Umrah inquiry will review

The committee's brief is vaccine prices, how the contract was procured, and the financial arrangements. The inquiry follows allegations of an unfair bidding process. Those allegations remain subject to investigation. They are not described as findings. No company, price, or bidder is named.

Why it matters

The review has a short clock: findings within 48 hours. What it can establish, if anything, is limited to the prices, the procurement procedure, and the finances of this vaccination contract.

• The order comes from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif
• The contract is for Hajj and Umrah vaccination services
• The committee has five members
• It will review prices, procurement and financial arrangements
• Findings are due within 48 hours
• Unfair-bidding allegations remain under investigation

What this order leaves open

1. The name of the contractor.
2. The vaccine price in dispute.
3. Whether the bidding was unfair.
4. Any action after the 48-hour report.

What happens next

The committee is to report within 48 hours. We will update this article when those findings are released.

Our verdict

Shehbaz Sharif has ordered a five-member inquiry into the Hajj and Umrah vaccination contract, covering prices, procurement and finances, after allegations of unfair bidding that are still under investigation.

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