Ministry of Religious Affairs proposes short duration for Hajj pilgrimage next year

F.P. Report

ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Religious Affairs has proposed a shorter duration for Hajj pilgrimage next year, allowing pilgrims to decide the duration of their pilgrimage.

This proposal is currently under consideration by the interim Minister of Religious Affairs. The introduction of a shorter Hajj duration, which could last between 18 to 20 days is seen as a significant move to make the pilgrimage more accessible and manageable.

This was informed in a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Religious Affairs which was held in Islamabad on Monday under the chair of Senator Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri.

The committee chairman also proposed that the Hajj duration should be of 18 to 30 days.

Last year, the official Hajj package spanned a period of 10 days and cost Rs1,020,000. However, the Saudi government has offered shelters and is ready to give some concessions to all the pilgrims. They are planning to increase the number of pilgrims to 10 million, the committee was informed.

Currently, the Road to Makkah programme is being run only from Islamabad International Airport. However, the Saudi government has decided to include Karachi in the Road to Makkah programme in the next Hajj, according to the caretaker minister for religious affairs. Efforts to include Lahore in the Road to Makkah programme are also underway, he added.

The Road to Makkah project refers to the immigration of pilgrims at Islamabad Airport.

When Senator Hidayatullah asked from the minister “what’s the route of the Road to Makkah project”, the meeting hall was rocked by loud laughters of the participants. Later, the minister explained to the Senator what Road to Makkah project means. Minister Aneeq Ahmed clarified that the Road to Makkah is not a physical road.