Hajj applications will be accepted by banks from March 16 to 31.

ISLAMABAD:

179,210 Pakistani pilgrims will do the Hajj this year, according to Minister for Religious Affairs Mufti Abdul Shakoor, who also cited the high cost as a result of inflated costs in the kingdom and the weakening of the Pakistani rupee.

At a press conference to introduce the Hajj Policy 2023, the minister made the comments and mentioned that applications can be submitted from March 16 to March 31 at 14 authorised banks.

The minister announced that the scheduled date of April 5 would be used for the Hajj voting. According to the financial breakdown, the anticipated cost of performing the Hajj from the northern area (Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar, Multan, Faisalabad, Rahim Yar Khan, Sialkot) is Rs. 1,175,000, while the cost of the northern region’s Sponsorship Hajj Program is about $4,325

The estimated cost of Hajj from southern region (Karachi, Quetta, Sukkur) was Rs1,165,000 while for the Sponsorship Hajj Scheme (southern region) was approximately $4,285, he added.

The minister assured that in case of savings from the above-mentioned Hajj package, it would be refunded to the pilgrims through the bank accounts provided by them, adding that the applicants of the Sponsorship Hajj Scheme having no bank accounts, would be provided money in cash.

Also read: Hajj under a government programme will cost more than Rs 1 million.