The News said on Friday that Aneeq Ahmed, the caretaker minister for religious affairs, unveiled the Haj Policy 2024, which will reduce the cost of the pilgrimage by Rs. 100,000 from the previous year.
Ahmed stated that designated banks can begin accepting applications under the normal system from November 27 to December 12, while revealing the key components of the Haj Policy 2024.
The minister said that in addition to a 38–42-day Haj package, the government has also chosen to launch a 20–25-day short package.
He stated that the cost of the Haj under the government programme has been lowered from Rs 1,175,000 for this year’s Haj to Rs 1,075,000 for the following Haj. Despite the lower cost, he promised that the quality of the preparations would not be compromised.
But for the short-duration bundle, the government will charge an additional Rs 75,000. According to the minister, candidates from the southern part of the nation will need to pay an extra Rs75,000 for a short-term package in addition to the Rs1,065,000 Haj expenditures. Charges for the sacrificial animals will be received in the sum of Rs 60,000.
According to the minister of religious affairs, Pakistan has a Haj quota of 17,9210, which would be split evenly between government and commercial Haj operators.
According to Ahmed, discussions to obtain lower airfares for the Haj operation are still ongoing with the airlines.
“The money will be transferred to the pilgrims’ accounts if we are successful in obtaining relief in the airfare.”
He claimed that if the pilgrims decide to spend four days in Madina rather than eight, they will receive a reimbursement of Rs. 35,000.
One prominent aspect of the Haj Policy is that, in accordance with the Council of Islamic Ideology’s (CII) guidelines, women without mahram are now able to apply for the Haj. These ladies would, however, need to obtain consent from their parents or spouses on the understanding that they would choose a group that included reliable individuals.
Applicants who have completed the Haj in the previous five years are not allowed to apply. The same limitation would not apply to a Mehram travelling with a lady who is undertaking Hajj for the first time or to those who apply through the sponsorship programme.
The quota for the commercial plan and the government’s standard plan would be 89,605 apiece. A quota of 25,000 from the government scheme has been set aside for the sponsorship programme, and 50% of the private scheme will also be set aside for it.
Applications under the sponsorship programme will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis and require submission of expenditures in foreign currency ($4,015).
According to the caretaker minister, Haj 2024 would be digitalized, and pilgrims would receive a smartphone app that they could use offline. One of the numerous functions of the app will be the ability to file complaints.
He said that complimentary gifts for the pilgrims will include a seven-gigabyte SIM card, luggage with a QR code, Ihram belts for males, abayas for women, and shoe bags.
He said that the Road to Makkah project includes not only the Islamabad airport but also Karachi, and they have asked the Saudi government to include Lahore in the same.
As part of the operation, before the intended pilgrims left for the Kingdom, Saudi personnel inspected them for immigration, security, and customs.
