ISLAMABAD: Global inflation and rupee devaluation have also affected more than one million worth of Hajj package, the religious minister said on Friday.

“This time, global inflation had increased the cost of facilities in Pakistan as well as in Saudi Arabia. Apart from this, the fall in the value of the Pakistani rupee had a significant impact on the Hajj package,” Federal Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Mufti Abdul Shakoor said at a press conference.

The local currency has been fluctuating in the inter-bank market as many experts blame it on the delay in the International Monetary Fund agreement. The country is also dealing with the financial impact of the devastating floods that displaced more than 33 million people last year.

The country announced its austerity measures to save the public exchequer apart from seeking loans from IMF, donors, and friendly countries. Many analysts believe that the prevailing economic crisis was due to the fact that the country was running short of dollars.

Shakoor added that due to the expansion project of the Haram in Madinah, the process of vacating and demolishing many residential units was underway. “All these issues had led to an overall increase in the cost of facilities.”

Despite all such factors, the religious minister said that overseas Pakistanis would find it cheaper to perform Hajj from Pakistan than abroad. “This year, the government Hajj scheme expenditure was lower than other countries in the region such as India, Bangladesh and Afghanistan,” he added.

What about Hajj 2023

Here are the details the Muttahida Majlis-E-Amal Pakistan minister shared about the Hajj package

• Federal Cabinet approved the Hajj Policy 2023 on Thursday

• Applications will be collected from March 16 to 31 through 14 designated banks

• Balloting will be held on April 5 as per the schedule

• Expenses, charged from the government pilgrims, would be spent on their facilities throughout the holy journey

• Pilgrims can avail train facility in Mina, Muzdalifah and Arafat. But, they will have to bear the cost of this facility

What’s the fare?

As expected the fare would cost more than one million per pilgrim.

• The estimated cost of Hajj from the Northern Region (Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar, Multan, Faisalabad, Rahim Yar Khan, Sialkot) is Rs1,175,000, while for the Sponsorship Hajj Scheme (Northern Region) is approximately $4,325

• The estimated cost of Hajj from Southern Region (Karachi, Quetta, Sukkur) is Rs1,165,000 while for the Sponsorship Hajj Scheme (Southern Region) was approximately $4,285.

Shakoor assured the intending pilgrims that in case of savings from the above-mentioned Hajj package, it would be refunded to them through the bank accounts provided by them. “Applicants of the Sponsorship Hajj Scheme having no bank accounts would be provided money in cash.”

He claimed that last year, on his personal request, the mandatory Hajj expenses were reduced by the Saudi Minister for Hajj and Umrah.

Sponsorship Hajj Scheme

Religious minister Shakoor said the Sponsorship Hajj Scheme was introduced for overseas Pakistanis this year and it would help generate $194 million while the ministry needed a total of $284 million. The finance ministry had pledged to provide the remaining approximately $90 million for the smooth functioning of Hajj operation, he added.

As per quota, he said that as many as 179,210 people would perform Hajj this year. This quota would be divided between the public and private Hajj schemes with a ratio of 50% each respectively.

Fifty per cent quota of public and private Hajj schemes ie 44,802 seats in each scheme were reserved for the Sponsorship Hajj Scheme, the minister said.

Under the Sponsorship Hajj Scheme, he said that a special facility was given to those Hajj pilgrims who were seeking foreign exchange from abroad in the specific dollar account of the ministry. “Overseas Pakistanis will be exempted from the balloting process due to the remittance of allocated dollars in this account for themselves or their relatives in Pakistan. Deposit of dollars from Pakistan is not allowed.”

The quota of the scheme would be provided on a “first come, first served” basis which would be determined by the time and date of depositing the Hajj form in the bank. The registration for the scheme would be stopped once the specified quota was completed, he added.

“There is no age limit for Pakistani pilgrims this year as Saudi Arabia has removed the upper age limit of 65 years. The Shariah Mehram’ must be accompanied by female Hajj pilgrims, however, the women over 45 years of age belonging to ‘Fiqa Jafria’could go without Merham,” he said.

In the regular Hajj scheme, Shakoor said that those pilgrims who had performed Hajj in the last five Hajj years were not eligible to apply for Hajj this year except those ‘Mehram’ of women going for Hajj for the first time would also be exempted from the five-year ban.

The selection of the regular Hajj scheme would be done through computerised balloting and the results of which would be available on the ministry’s website in a short span of time.

“Three per cent (2,688) of the total quota under the Government Hajj Scheme would be reserved for hardship cases (newborns, broken families),” he said, adding that applicants who failed in the regular Hajj scheme would be able to receive their money within seven days from the bank accounts provided or in the form of cash from the bank concerned.

Moreover, the government has decided to keep a 300 quota (for labourers) would be reserved for low-paid employees of companies registered with the Employees’ Old-Age Benefits Institution and Workers Welfare Fund and their expenses would be borne by their organisations and they would be selected through separate balloting.

Saudi Arabia has made it mandatory for all pilgrims to get immunized with the vaccines approved by the kingdom. Wearing masks during Hajj rites in closed and open places also remains in effect.

“Road to Makkah project facility would continue at Islamabad International Airport that would likely be extended to Lahore and Karachi this year,” he said.