According to Talha Mahmood, the Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony, Pakistani pilgrims participating in this year’s Hajj will be given accommodation facilities near the Masjid-e-Nabawi in Madina. He made this statement during a meeting with Muhammad bin Abdul Rahman Al-Bijawi, the Undersecretary of Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Hajj and Umrah in Madina. The discussion revolved around the future strategy of Hajj arrangements, pilgrimage to Madina, and facilities on the road to Makkah. Mahmood also reported that accommodation and meal services for pilgrims during their stay in Madina would be finalized soon.
In addition to this, Mahmood expressed his appreciation for the Saudi Arabian government’s arrangements for Ramadan at the two sacred mosques. Further, he also encouraged pilgrims to learn the Saudi mobile application ‘Nusuk’ to perform nawafil at Masjid-e-Nabawi’s Riaz-ul-Jannah. He also stated that measures are being taken to ensure that half of the pilgrims who perform Hajj on the ‘Government Hajj Scheme’ complete the pilgrimage to Madina prior to Hajj.
Mufti Abdul Shakoor, the late minister of religious affairs, reported last month that 179,210 Pakistani pilgrims would perform Hajj this year. Further, the estimated Hajj cost for the northern region is Rs 1,175,000, whereas for the southern region, it is Rs 1,165,000. Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) had also announced that it will start its pre-Hajj operation on May 21 and last until August 12, during which time it will transport 38,000 pilgrims to Saudi Arabia.
According to the circular from PIA Hajj, “Pre Hajj operation will commence from 1st Zilqad till 4th Zilhajj, 1444 corresponding to the Gregorian date 21st May till 22nd June 2023 (subject to moon sighting)”. Further, the national flag carrier has decided to charge fares in US dollars for the second consecutive year and has set the tariffs for pilgrims traveling to Saudi Arabia under the private Hajj scheme from $870 to $1180 for the southern region, which covers Karachi, Quetta, Sukkur, and Hyderabad.
This decision was made after the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony allocated a 50% special quota in the Government Hajj Scheme-2023 for the pilgrims paying in US dollars. On the other hand, the airfares for the northern region pilgrims ranged between $910 and $1,220, including cities such as Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar, Multan, and others. The total cost of a government-sponsored Hajj pilgrimage would be Rs 1.25 million.
