Banks Accept Hajj Applications from March 16th to March 31st

ISLAMABAD:

Religious Affairs Minister Mufti Abdul Shakoor said Friday that 179,210 Pakistani pilgrims will make the pilgrimage this year, blaming the high cost for high prices in the kingdom and the devaluation of the Pakistani rupee. The minister made remarks on the Hajj 2023 policy announcement at a press conference, saying applications can be submitted to 14 designated banks from March 16 to March 31.

The minister declared that the Hajj voting would take place on April 5 as planned. “According to the financial breakdown, the estimated cost of pilgrimage from Northern region (Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar, Multan, Faisalabad, Rahim Yar Khan, Sialkot) is Rs 1,175,000 while for Hajj sponsorship program (Northern region ) are approximately $4,325".

He added that the estimated cost of pilgrimage from southern region (Karachi, Quetta, Sukkur) is Rs 1,165,000 while pilgrim sponsorship scheme (southern region) was about US$4,285.

The minister assured that any savings from the Hajj register will be returned to pilgrims to bank accounts provided by them, adding that those who apply for the Hajj sponsorship program and do not have a bank account will receive cash.

He said that this time global inflation has increased the cost of facilities in Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. The fall in the value of the Pakistani rupee also had a significant impact on the hajj package. Abdul Shakoor said last year that Pakistani pilgrims could not use the trains, but this year they could use the trains in Mina, Muzdalifah and Arafat. However, he argued that pilgrims should bear the cost of this facility.

The minister shed light on the Hajj sponsorship scheme, saying it was launched this year for Pakistanis abroad and would help raise $194 million as the ministry needed funding, a total of $284 million. He said that according to the quota, 179,210 people would perform Hajj this year, adding that this figure would be split 50% between public and private Hajj programs.

It also said that 50% of the share of public and private hajj programs or 44,802 seats in each program were reserved for the sponsored hajj program.

"Pakistans abroad are exempted from the voting process due to the transfer of allocated dollars to this account for themselves or their relatives in Pakistan. The deposit of Pakistani dollars is prohibited," he added. Abdul Shakoor said that the Hajj sponsorship scheme award is given on a first come, first served basis, which is determined by the time and date of submitting the Hajj form to the bank.

He added that registrations for the Hajj sponsorship program will be suspended once the stated limit is reached. He said that this year there is no age limit for Pakistani pilgrims because Saudi Arabia has lifted the age limit of 65 years.