The federal cabinet of Pakistan, led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, has officially approved the Hajj Policy for 2025 during a recent cabinet meeting that addressed multiple national issues. The finalized draft of the Hajj policy will be sent to the Ministry of Religious Affairs, which is anticipated to make an official announcement soon.
Key details of the approved policy include the allowance of 179,210 pilgrims to perform Hajj in 2025, with the Hajj package priced between Rs1.065 million and Rs1.075 million. The distribution of the Hajj quota will be split evenly, with 50% allocated to the government scheme and 50% to the private Hajj scheme. A computerized lucky draw will determine selections for the government quota.
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Additionally, under the sponsorship scheme, 5,000 quotas have been reserved for government pilgrims and 25,000 for private pilgrims. Importantly, children under 12 years of age will not be allowed to participate in the pilgrimage. There will also be 1,000 seats set aside for hardship cases and 300 for laborers or low-income employees.
The Ministry of Religious Affairs has been instructed to formally announce the policy and provide a timeline for the application process.
In a move aimed at easing the financial burden on low-income and middle-class citizens planning to undertake the Hajj pilgrimage, the government has proposed a new payment structure allowing expenses to be paid in three installments. The suggested payment plan will enable prospective pilgrims to pay Rs1.1 million in three phases. Initially, applicants would need to deposit Rs200,000 to apply for Hajj. Once selected in the lucky draw, they would pay an additional Rs400,000, with the remainder due prior to departure.
During the cabinet meeting, other significant agenda items included a review of a report on price stabilization in the urea fertilizer market and the appointment of members to the Public Private Partnership Board. Additionally, the cabinet discussed the potential signing of memorandums of understanding with three countries and addressed the current political and economic situation in the country.
