ISLAMABAD ( APP) - Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Chaudhry Salik Hussain said on Monday next year's Hajj would cost up to Rs1.2 million under the Government’s Hajj Scheme 2025.
Announcing the Hajj Policy 2025, the minister said the Hajj cost is expected to range between Rs1,075,000 and Rs1,175,000, with an additional amount of Rs55,000 as the cost of sacrificial offering.
Regarding pilgrim accommodations, the minister stated that applicants selecting double-bed and triple-bed options in Makkah would be required to make additional deposits of Rs220,000 and Rs75,000, respectively.
He said the pilgrims would get an opportunity to pay for Hajj in installments under the Hajj Scheme 2025.
The first installment of Hajj dues, amounting to Rs200,000, must be deposited along with the application, he said, adding the second installment of Rs400,000 must be submitted within 10 days of the balloting. The remaining amount must be deposited by Feb 10 next year.
Chaudhry Salik Hussain stated that no deductions would be made if an application was withdrawn before the final submission date. However, if the first installment is refunded after the balloting, a deduction of Rs50,000 will apply. A deduction of Rs200,000 will be imposed if the third installment is not paid.
The minister clarified that no refunds would be issued for the remaining amount after Feb 10 next year. However, in the event of the applicant’s death, the aforementioned deductions would not be applied.
Salik said 179,210 Pakistanis would perform Hajj in 2025, with 89,605 seats allocated to both the government and private Hajj schemes, maintaining a 50:50 quota distribution.
He added that 5,000 seats would be reserved for the sponsorship scheme under the government Hajj Scheme, while 30,000 seats would be allocated to private Hajj Group Organizers for sponsorship.
Furthermore, he emphasised that participation in the sponsorship scheme required sending foreign exchange through official banking channels.
Chaudhry Salik Hussain clarified that the government sponsorship scheme would be conducted on a ‘first come, first served’ basis and would not be subject to balloting. He also stated that the foreign exchange collected through the sponsorship scheme would be exclusively used for Hajj-related expenses in Saudi Arabia.
The minister further explained that under the Government Hajj Scheme, the traditional long stay would last between 38 and 42 days, while the short stay would be from 20 to 25 days.
He also mentioned that, according to Saudi regulations, each organised private Hajj group must include at least 2,000 pilgrims. One major reason is that, generally, groups used to take only 10, 20, or 100 people, leading to difficulties in securing accommodation upon arrival. He explained that having a group of 2,000 will ensure better allocation of places.
In accordance with Saudi regulations, children under the age of 12 will not be allowed to accompany pilgrims due to various reasons, primarily the challenges posed by the extreme heat during Hajj and other associated difficulties.
The minister also highlighted some important changes, including an increase in compensation for pilgrims. If a pilgrim passes away during Hajj, the compensation has been raised from Rs1 million to Rs2 million. Additionally, compensation for serious injuries has been increased to Rs1 million.
In response to another question, the minister noted that pilgrims from Europe and Canada typically pay around 20,000 dollars for their Hajj journey.
Regarding Pakistani expatriates, he assured that efforts are being made to ensure that the quota allocated for those departing from Pakistan is not wasted and is instead included in the general quota. Discussions are currently underway with the Saudi government as this quota had been surrendered last year.
The federal secretary and other officials from the Ministry were also present.