Umrah or Hajj: Govt seeks CII's guidance on ‘Mehram requirement' for female pilgrims
In the Standing Committee on Religious Affairs and Inter-Faith Harmony's meeting held under the chairmanship of Malik Muhammad Aamir Dogar, Minister for Religious Affairs and Inter-Faith Harmony Sardar Muhammad Yousaf Zaman apprised the committee that on the prime minister's instructions, the Religious Affairs Ministry is drafting a new Hajj policy as per requirements of the Saudi Government.
He apprised the committee that according to new Saudi policy requirement for female pilgrims to accompany Mehram (male relative/husband) is no more required. On which, Senator Mujahid Ali said that Meharm is a religious requirement so how come Saudi Government can exempt it. On which, the minister said the government has asked the CII to guide it on this matter.
The minister said this year, Hajj operation remained one of the finest. He said even in Mushahir and Arafat, air condition facility was provided to the pilgrims.
'During the Hajj whoever lodged the complaint the ministry addressed it on the spot and that's why the prime minister congratulated our ministry for the successful operation,' he said.
Sardar Yousaf admitted that 63,000 intended pilgrims couldn't perform Hajj because of some technical problems and miscommunication. He said the amount 365 million Riyals is lying with Saudi Government. He said private Hajj operators want the government to give priority to those intending pilgrimage next year who have already deposited the amount and the prime minister also asked the ministry to give them priority.
He said because of the rising cost of Hajj, the government is considering allowing pilgrims to pay in instalments.
The members of the committee asked the ministry that due to higher cost of travel, the government should explore the option to start travelling through sea because travelling through ships is much cheaper. The officials of the ministry told the committee that they already on the feasibility of this option.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Recorder
16 hours ago
- Business Recorder
Govt keen to facilitate Pakistanis living in Gulf: Rana Mashhood
KARACHI: The federal government is keen to facilitate overseas Pakistanis and Pakistani youth in Gulf countries, mainly by providing a technological solution that enables them to send remittances to their families with ease through a domestic payment scheme, PayPak. This was stated by Rana Mashhood Ahmad Khan, Chairman Prime Minister Youth Programme (PMYP) in a meeting held with stakeholders recently here, including Ibrahim Amin, Chairman of PAFLA, and Najeeb Agrawalla, CEO of 1LINK. The federal government is working extensively to serve Pakistanis in the country and overseas by addressing their core issues through all innovative, technological, and affordable means. In this regard, the government is keen to explore strategic collaboration on empowering overseas Pakistani youth through digital remittance services and expanding PayPak's reach under the Prime Minister's Youth Programme, he said. A significant number of overseas Pakistanis comprise youth and they are assets of the country because of their commendable role in contributing to the economy of the country; hence, the PM Digital Youth Hub is exploring various options to honour their services for the nation with dedicated facilities and offerings, Chairman PMYP said. On the occasion, Najeeb Agrawalla said, "We aim to take initiatives to facilitate secure and structured remittance flows from non-resident Pakistani workers, especially those based in Saudi Arabia, UAE and other Gulf countries, while also promoting the use of PayPak for Hajj, Umrah, and other cross-border transactions including 1BILL service for non-resident Pakistanis." As a major payment service provider, 1LINK proposed extending its technological expertise and platform capabilities to support the development and implementation of both initiatives, he said. PAFLA Chairman Ibrahim Amin highlighted that over 4 million Pakistanis reside in Gulf countries and strive to contribute honestly to the national economy through their hard-earned income. Unfortunately, many of them lack access to reliable and user-friendly technological payment solutions. PAFLA, in collaboration with Pakistani diplomatic missions, Pakistan's banks, and different agencies, will do its best efforts to approach freelancers, blue- and white-collar Pakistani workers through outreach and engagement efforts across Gulf countries, he added. Pakistan received over $38.3 billion in remittances from different countries in the financial year 2024-25. Overseas Pakistanis residing in different Gulf countries contribute a major share to the remittance. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Business Recorder
16 hours ago
- Business Recorder
Umrah or Hajj: Govt seeks CII's guidance on ‘Mehram requirement' for female pilgrims
ISLAMABAD: The government has sought Council of Islamic Ideology (CII)'s guidance to decide that whether Mehram requirement for female pilgrims intending to perform Umrah or Hajj can be withdrawn or not. In the Standing Committee on Religious Affairs and Inter-Faith Harmony's meeting held under the chairmanship of Malik Muhammad Aamir Dogar, Minister for Religious Affairs and Inter-Faith Harmony Sardar Muhammad Yousaf Zaman apprised the committee that on the prime minister's instructions, the Religious Affairs Ministry is drafting a new Hajj policy as per requirements of the Saudi Government. He apprised the committee that according to new Saudi policy requirement for female pilgrims to accompany Mehram (male relative/husband) is no more required. On which, Senator Mujahid Ali said that Meharm is a religious requirement so how come Saudi Government can exempt it. On which, the minister said the government has asked the CII to guide it on this matter. The minister said this year, Hajj operation remained one of the finest. He said even in Mushahir and Arafat, air condition facility was provided to the pilgrims. 'During the Hajj whoever lodged the complaint the ministry addressed it on the spot and that's why the prime minister congratulated our ministry for the successful operation,' he said. Sardar Yousaf admitted that 63,000 intended pilgrims couldn't perform Hajj because of some technical problems and miscommunication. He said the amount 365 million Riyals is lying with Saudi Government. He said private Hajj operators want the government to give priority to those intending pilgrimage next year who have already deposited the amount and the prime minister also asked the ministry to give them priority. He said because of the rising cost of Hajj, the government is considering allowing pilgrims to pay in instalments. The members of the committee asked the ministry that due to higher cost of travel, the government should explore the option to start travelling through sea because travelling through ships is much cheaper. The officials of the ministry told the committee that they already on the feasibility of this option. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Business Recorder
17 hours ago
- Business Recorder
FCCI chief visits Makkah Chamber: ‘Direct contacts between traders should be promoted'
FAISALABAD: Brotherly relations between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia must be translated into economic terms and in this regard direct contacts between the business communities of the two countries should be promoted on war footings, said Rehan Naseem Bharara, President Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry (FCCI). He was discussing matters of mutual interest with Abdullah Omer Qazi, Chairman Tourism Committee of the Makkah Chamber of Commerce & Industry during his visit to the MCCI in Saudi Arabia. He expressed satisfaction over the modest increase in trade volume between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia and said that private sectors of two countries should play a proactive role after improvement in trade cooperation at the government levels. Rehan Naseem Bharara invited the leadership of MCCI to visit FCCI. Abdullah Omer Qazi accepted the invitation and said that there were huge chances of investment in Pakistan and Saudi investors would exploit this available and untapped potential for mutual benefit. He particularly appreciated the establishment of the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) in Pakistan and said that it would open new avenues of direct foreign investment particularly from Saudi Arabia. He also explained in detail the vision 2030 of Saudi leadership and said that it would help the transformation of the Kingdom into a modern, dynamic and progressive country. Earlier Secretary General MCCI Dr Thamer Ahmad Baazeem received and welcomed the President FCCI. Later Rehan Naseem Bharara and Abdullah Omer Qazi exchanged shields of their respective organizations. Fahad Saud Damanhouri Director Business Development of MCCI, Hafiz Shafique Kashif former ECM FCCI and Chaudhary Kashif Nawaz Randhawa were also present during this meeting. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
