Under Pakistan’s government Hajj scheme, 72,000 applications have been received, according to the religious affairs ministry on Sunday. This comes just two days before the Dec 10 deadline for submitting applications. Saudi Arabia has allocated a total quota of 179,210 pilgrims to Pakistan. Initially, the application deadline was set for Dec 3, but the government extended it to Dec 10 to fill 21,000 unfilled seats. The religious affairs ministry announced, “Two days are left to enter the government Hajj scheme” and designated banks will continue to receive applications on Monday and Tuesday.
Read more: Hajj Application Deadline Extended to December 10
Last year, Pakistan had to return 21,000 Hajj seats to Saudi Arabia due to insufficient demand. This year, the government is hopeful that it will receive enough applications. The ministry also introduced the Hajj 2025 policy, which allows pilgrims to pay their Hajj fees in instalments. The first instalment of Rs200,000 ($717) must be paid with the application and the second instalment of Rs400,000 ($1,435) is due within ten days of the balloting. The remaining amount is due by Feb10 next year. Overseas Pakistanis can also sponsor their relatives to perform the pilgrimage. Additionally, the ministry launched the “Pak Hajj 2025” mobile app to guide pilgrims. There has also been a significant reduction in airfare, with a Rs14,000 ($50) decrease. Pilgrims enrolled in the federal scheme will now pay Rs220,000 for airfare, down from Rs234,000 last year.
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