The registration of pilgrims under the private Hajj scheme was in progress, with 24,000 pilgrims slated to participate in the Road to Makkah project this year, Pakistan Ulema Council Chairman Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mahmood Ashrafi said on Saturday.

He said this during a press conference held at the Lahore Press Club, where he was joined by representatives from the Hajj Organisers Association of Pakistan (HOAP).

Ashrafi, who is also the patron-in-chief of HOAP, noted that this year, certain private tour operators were offering Hajj packages at a “more affordable rate” compared to pilgrims participating in the government Hajj scheme.

He emphasised that due to enhanced self-accountability measures, private pilgrims would not encounter issues as they have in the past.

“It is imperative to provide written documentation to pilgrims detailing all the facilities to be provided during the sacred journey,” he added.

Furthermore, he mentioned that the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah was dispatching officials to train Pakistani pilgrims.