Islamabad: The process for receiving of applications for next year’s Hajj under government scheme is underway at designated banks.
Receiving of applications will continue till December 22, Friday.
With the deadline for Hajj 2024 applications looming, the Ministry of Religious Affairs was facing a ‘slow response’ to its sponsorship scheme as the incumbent government only received 2,800 applications.
The government has allocated 25,000 seats in the ‘Sponsorship Scheme Hajj’, introduced by the government this year, allowing overseas Pakistanis to apply for Hajj or sponsor someone in Pakistan for the journey by paying in US dollars. In return, applicants would not have to participate in the balloting process.
Saudi Arabia had restored Pakistan’s pre-coronavirus Hajj quota of 179,210 pilgrims and lifted the upper age limit of 65 years to perform the pilgrimage.
The quota for Pakistanis performing the pilgrimage under the government’s scheme next year is 89,605, with the pilgrimage expected to cost Rs1,075,000 per head.
However, the government has only received 2,800 Haj applications in the sponsorship scheme – coupled with 58,000 applications received under the regular scheme.
With such a low application count in the sponsorship scheme, the Ministry of Religious Affairs — after approaching interior and foreign ministries — has also sought assistance Ministry of Information and also reached out to overseas Pakistanis.
