November 12, 2024 (MLN): A total of 179,210 Pakistani pilgrims will perform Haj in the year 2025, Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Chaudhry Salik Hussain announced while unveiling the Haj Policy 2025 on Monday.
The distribution of the quota for government and private Hajj schemes is at a ratio of 50-50%, with 89,605 seats allocated for both.
The expected costs for the government Hajj scheme for 2025 will range between Rs1,075,000 to Rs1,175,000, with an additional fee of Rs55,000 for the sacrifice service.
The federal minister stated that for accommodation in Makkah, an additional deposit of Rs220,000 and Rs75,000 per applicant will have to be made for double and triple bed arrangements, respectively.
He added that this year a new facility is being offered under the government Hajj scheme, which will benefit ordinary people who cannot deposit the amount in one go.
Under this facility, the first installment of Hajj dues of Rs200,000 will need to be submitted along with the Hajj application, followed by an additional deposit of Rs400,000 within ten days of the draw, and the remaining amount must be deposited between February 01 to 10, 2025.
The Federal Minister said that there will be no deduction if money is withdrawn before the deadline for submitting applications, while there will be a deduction of Rs50,000 for withdrawing the first installment after the lottery draw, and a deduction of Rs200,000 rupees if the third installment is not submitted.
Hes stated that if someone doesn't go after February 10, the remaining amount will not be refunded, and in the case of the applicant’s death, the aforementioned deductions will not apply.
In the government Hajj scheme, 5,000 seats will be reserved for the sponsorship scheme.
To participate in the sponsorship scheme, it will be necessary to send foreign exchange through a banking channel from abroad. Chaudhry Salik Hussain stated that preparations for Haj 2025 have been completed.
The minister said that another new thing included is that if a pilgrim passes away during Hajj, the compensation has been increased from Rs1 million to Rs2 million, and if a serious injury occurs, that compensation has also been raised to Rs1 million.
The federal minister acknowledged that Hajj is certainly not easy and comes with its challenges, but last year's Hajj was significantly better compared to previous years, and this time our effort is to improve it even further and reduce complaints as much as possible.
Chaudhry Salik Hussain stated that for the private Haj scheme, 30,000 seats will be allocated for the sponsorship scheme. The government sponsorship scheme will operate on a first-come, first-served basis and will be exempt from a lottery system.
The traditional long package for the government Haj scheme will last from 38 to 42 days, while the short package will span from 20 to 25 days.
The federal minister for religious affairs noted that the foreign exchange gathered through the sponsorship scheme will only be used for Haj-related expenses in Saudi Arabia.
He added that according to Saudi regulations, every organized private Haj group must consist of at least 2,000 pilgrims for several reasons.
One major reason is that, generally, groups used to take only 10, 20, or 100 people, leading to difficulties in securing accommodation upon arrival. He explained that having a group of 2,000 will ensure better allocation of places.
In response to a question, Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Chaudhry Salik Hussain said, "it is a positive development that costs have not increased, even though prices have risen everywhere in Pakistan and Saudi Arabia; however, we have maintained last year's prices."
The Minister stated that as soon as the refund from last year's Hajj is received from the Saudi government, "we will transfer it here as well."
He said this year, the government is prioritizing new Hajj pilgrims, and there are higher chances that names of new pilgrims will come up in the lottery.
In response to another question, the Minister mentioned that pilgrims coming from Europe and Canada pay around 20,000 dollars to come.
For Pakistani expatriates, "we will try to ensure that the quota allocated for those departing from here is not wasted and is included in the general quota, for which discussions are ongoing with the Saudi government, as this quota was surrendered last year."
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Posted on: 2024-11-12T10:32:12+05:00