Srinagar, Aug 12

The Jammu Kashmir Association of Haj and Umrah Companies( JKAHUC) Saturday said the Enforcement  Directorate’s “inspection” at  Feroz Son Exports  was misreported  as a raid on Al Khuddam Hajj & Umrah services by a section of the national media in order to “malign the company and create chaos among aspiring pilgrims.”

Addressing a press conference here,  JKAHUC executive body members said  that the ED was performing its “bona-fide duty of checking the records” of Feroz Son Exports.

Although prominent businessman Sheikh Feroz Ahmad is one of the directors of Al Khuddam Hajj and Umrah Services and Feroz son Exports, the companies are  “separate entities and have nothing to do with each other.”

“Al Khuddam  deals with Hajj & Umrah services , whereas Feroz Son Exports which deals with handicrafts is a separate company with separate office. Al Khuddam’s name deliberately mentioned by section of national media as part  of a sinister design,” the members said.

“Under Section 37 of FEMA,  the ED has every right to undertake such procedures, but what remained sinister was how a section of the national media sensationalised the news and linked it to terror funding to gain TRPs,” they said.

They asked Central and State governments to advise the media to report with sincerity and avoid character assassination at all costs.

The JKAHUC members also appealed the Central  and State governments to exempt Hajj and Umrah  travel from service tax.