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The Saudi Arabian government has revealed details about the upcoming Hajj as preparations for the annual pilgrimage reach their final stages.
Hajj visa issuance is set to commence on March 1, with pilgrims expected to arrive in Saudi Arabia starting from the first day of Dhul Qaidah, corresponding to May 9, according to local media reports.
Read more : Saudi Arabia Hnitiates Hajj Operation With Thorough Preparations
In a notable change to the allocation of places for pilgrims at the holy sites, the government has revised the mechanism. Under the new framework, countries will not be assigned specific places; instead, allocations will be determined based on finalized contracts.
Tawfiq Al Rabiah, the Saudi Minister of Hajj, emphasized that countries concluding contracts early will receive priority in securing appropriate places at the holy sites, as reported by Gulf News.
Preparations for transporting pilgrims are also underway, with approximately 21,000 buses being readied to serve pilgrims during the Hajj season. These buses are expected to transport around 2 million pilgrims, and 65 companies have provided the buses so far, according to a car union.
The Saudi government has already finalized Hajj agreements with multiple countries, including Pakistan, where the Hajj is scheduled for June. In Pakistan, the government conducted a balloting process to select successful applicants under the government Hajj scheme.
This year, the government has introduced the opportunity for a Short Hajj, which is slightly more expensive than the traditional long Hajj. The Long Hajj, spanning 38-42 days with an 8-day stay in Medinah, requires a payment of Rs 10,65,000 for those flying from the South region (Karachi and Sukkur) and Rs 10,75,000 for those from other cities (Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar, Multan, Sialkot, Faisalabad).
For applicants under the Sponsorship scheme, the cost is $3765 for the South Region and $3800 for the North Region for the Long Hajj package.
The Short Hajj package, lasting 20-25 days, costs Rs 11,40,000 for regular applicants from the South region and Rs 11,50,000 for those from the North region. For the Sponsorship Scheme, the cost for the Short Hajj is $4015 USD for the South region and $4050 for the North region.
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