ISLAMABAD, Nov 20 (NNI): Pakistan received over 4,774 applications from individuals wishing to perform Hajj 2025 in first two days.
As per details, 4,734 came from regular government schemes and 40 from bank sponsorship schemes.
The number represented a significant increase compared to last year when 1,300 applications were received in the first two days.
An amount of Rs 200,000 is required with applications submitted through the government scheme, and an additional four lakh will be collected when names are drawn in the lucky draw, while the remaining funds can be paid by February 10.
Applications will be accepted until December 3, and participation in the government sponsorship scheme will follow a first-come, first-served approach.
Furthermore, all payments for the government sponsorship scheme must be made in dollars and submitted as a lump sum.
Earlier, the federal government officially announced the Hajj Policy for 2025, detailing the eligibility criteria for pilgrims and how payments will be managed.
Hajj Policy 2025 clearly states that the Hajj quota will be divided equally between the government and private schemes, each receiving 50 per cent. Additionally, children under 12 years old will not be allowed to perform Hajj this year as per the policy.
The Hajj Policy 2025 also mentioned that in case of a pilgrim’s death, their family would receive Rs2 million in compensation, meanwhile, the injured pilgrims would also be compensated.
The Hajj Policy 2025 introduced a new installment-based payment system for Hajj fees, with priority given to first-time pilgrims. However, those suffering from serious or contagious illnesses will not be allowed to go this year.
Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Chaudhry Salik while announcing the policy emphasized that efforts will be made to prevent any reduction in the quota. If any quota remains unused from the sponsored scheme, it will be transferred to general pilgrims. A special quota of 5,000 has also been set aside for overseas Pakistanis. NNI
