The Ministry of Religious Affairs has communicated to the Finance Ministry that the expenditures to be incurred on the next year’s pilgrimage (Hajj) will be $280 million, reported 24NewsHD TV channel on Thursday.
Sources told 24News that for the first time in the country’s history, Hajj package for a brief time period had been introduced under the government scheme.
Under the new package, they elaborated, Pakistanis would be able to perform pilgrimage in 20 to 25 days.
Sources disclosed that the government had decided to go ahead with the sponsorship scheme for the pilgrims next year as well.
Under that scheme, 10,000 people will perform Hajj, they revealed.
Sources further said that the applicants would have to show their Pakistani passports in order to avail the scheme.
Furthermore, they informed, under the scheme payment of the amount would be made in dollars.
Not only Pakistanis living within the country, but also those living overseas and their relatives will be able to perform pilgrimage under the scheme, they disclosed.
Sources said that there would be no balloting for availing the scheme.
Pakistan’s Hajj quota for the year 2024 is over 179,000; out of whom 50 per cent will perform the pilgrimage under the government Hajj scheme and the remaining 50 per cent under the private Hajj scheme.
Sources told 24News that in case pilgrims belonged to one family, they would be accommodated in separate residences.
They informed that the Ministry of Religious Affairs had already sent draft of the Hajj policy 2024 to the federal cabinet for its approval, and hopefully it would get the cabinet’s nod soon.
SOURCE” 24NEWHD
