F.P. Report
ISLAMABAD: Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Chaudhry Salik Hussain said on Monday next year 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 for the cost of sacrificial offering. Regarding pilgrim accommodations, the minister stated that applicants selecting double-bed and triple-bed options in Makkah will 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Chaudhry Salik Hussain stated that no deductions will be made if an application is withdrawn before the final submission date.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 will be issued for the remaining amount after February 10 of next year. However, in the event of the applicant’s death, the aforementioned deductions will not be applied.
Salik said that a total of 179,210 Pakistanis will 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 will be reserved for the sponsorship scheme under the government Hajj Scheme, while 30,000 seats will be allocated to private Hajj Group Organizers for sponsorship. Furthermore, he emphasized that participation in the sponsorship scheme requires sending foreign exchange through official banking channels.
Chaudhry Salik Hussain clarified that the government sponsorship scheme will be conducted on a ‘first come, first served’ basis and will not be subject to balloting. He also stated that the foreign exchange collected through the sponsorship scheme will be exclusively used for Hajj-related expenses in Saudi Arabia. The minister further explained that under the Government Hajj Scheme, the traditional long stay will last between 38 to 42 days, while the short stay will be from 20 to 25 days.
He also mentioned that, according to Saudi regulations, each organized 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.
