ISLAMABAD, April 26 (APP): Ministry of Religious Affairs and
Interfaith Harmony will hold a draw on Friday for selection of
pilgrims for the Hajj, 2017 under the government scheme.
April 26 was the last day to submit Hajj applications to the
ministry through designated banks across the country.
According to official sources, so far the ministry has
received 335,353 applications under the government scheme. Last year
a total of 280,617 applications were received.
It is pertinent to mention that this year as many as 179,210
Pakistanis would be performing Hajj.
Earlier, the Hajj Quota for Pakistan was reduced to 143,368
in 2013, which has now been restored to 179,210 persons.
The expenditures for the North Regions (Punjab and Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa) have been fixed at Rs 280,000 per person this year
whereas the expenses for South Region (Karachi, Quetta and Sukkur)
would be Rs 270,000 per person.
An amount of Rs 13,050 for sacrificial animals is not included
in it.
As per the policy, out of the total pilgrims, 60 percent would
be facilitated through government scheme while 40 percent would be
performing this religious duty through private Hajj operators.
The sources said the applicants who have performed hajj
during the last seven years would not be eligible to apply for hajj
2017 under government scheme while for private hajj schemes, the
limit has been restricted to five years.
The successful applicants would be informed through letters
and text messages, whereas the results of successful candidates
would also be available at www.mora.gov.pk and www.hajjinfo.org
