Pakistani pilgrims should collect documents, IDs, SIMs from Hajj camps: ministry
The Ministry of Religious Affairs has finalised Hajj arrangements for this year, confirming that all Hajj camps across Pakistan are fully prepared to serve pilgrims.
Under the supervision of Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Sardar Muhammad Yousaf, a high-level meeting reviewed the services and facilities being provided at Hajj camps nationwide.
During the briefing, attended by Secretary for Religious Affairs Syed Ataur Rehman and other senior officials, it was announced that pilgrims will be required to collect their airline tickets, visas, identification lockets, travel stickers, and mobile SIM cards from their respective Hajj camps two days before their scheduled flights.
Vaccination schedules were also detailed in the meeting. Vaccination drives will begin on April 21 in Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar, and Multan. In Karachi, Rahim Yar Khan, Sukkur, Faisalabad, and Sialkot, vaccinations will commence from April 22, while Quetta will start its campaign from April 23.
Pilgrims have also been advised to follow the schedule provided through the Pak Hajj mobile application to avoid unnecessary delays or confusion. Sardar Muhammad Yousaf reaffirmed that 'All Hajj camps are ready to serve the guests of Allah,' urging pilgrims to strictly adhere to the allocated timelines.
The temporary Hajj camp in Rahim Yar Khan will operate from April 22 to April 24, officials confirmed. Pilgrims will also be provided with essential medicines and Hajj-related gifts at the camps.
The ministry has reiterated that vaccination and document collection are mandatory steps before departure, and pilgrims must report to their assigned camps accordingly.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Express Tribune
2 days ago
- Express Tribune
Hajj application process begins Aug 4
The government will start receiving applications for the official Hajj scheme from August 4, following the federal cabinet's approval of the Hajj Policy 2026. Selections will be made on a first-come, first-served basis, in line with the Saudi timeline. Federal Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Sardar Muhammad Yousaf said Pakistan has been allocated a quota of 179,210 pilgrims — 119,210 under the government scheme and 60,000 for private operators, subject to final confirmation by Saudi authorities. The government scheme will include both the traditional 38-42 day package and a shorter 20-25 day option. Estimated costs are expected to range between Rs1.15 million and Rs1.25 million, depending on final agreements with service providers. Pilgrims will be required to deposit Hajj dues in two installments, with the first installment — Rs500,000 for the long package and Rs550,000 for the short one through designated banks, he added. Minister Yousaf said applicants must hold valid Pakistani passports until at least November 26, 2026, and children under 12 years of age will not be eligible for Hajj this year. He said all pilgrims must be vaccinated with Saudi-approved vaccines. He said the 'Road to Makkah' initiative will continue at Islamabad and Karachi airports. He said overseas Pakistanis will be allowed to remit Hajj payments to nominated bank accounts under the scheme. The policy mandates compulsory animal sacrifice payments through the official Saudi system, he added. Minister Yousaf said private Hajj operators, including Dependent Hajj Companies (DHCs), will be subject to strict financial safeguards and transparent digital oversight. He said these operators must enter service provider agreements with the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony and operate under real-time data monitoring to ensure transparency, prevent double bookings, and ensure timely services. He said a third-party audit system will evaluate the performance of both government and private Hajj schemes. The Punjab Information Technology Board will continue operational digital support, with the Ministry of IT overseeing supervision through NITB, he added. Minister Yousaf said further measures include the deployment of emergency response teams, the continuation of the "Hajj Guardian Scheme" to compensate pilgrims for losses, mandatory training on logistics, rituals, and emergency protocols, and a fully digitized complaint redressal mechanism. He said the 'Pak Hajj App' and helpline will assist pilgrims with updates and issue resolution throughout the Hajj process. The Hajj Policy 2026 will help ensure a transparent, efficient, and spiritually fulfilling experience for all Pakistani pilgrims through digitization, regulation, and improved service delivery mechanisms, he maintained. The Hajj Policy 2026 includes a 70% government quota and a 30% private sector quota. It was highlighted that, following issues with the private sector in the previous year, private companies will ensure the participation of pilgrims who missed the Hajj in 2025.
Business Recorder
3 days ago
- Business Recorder
Hajj to cost a pilgrim in range of Rs1,150,000 to Rs1,250,000: govt
ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Religious Affairs projected that the next year's Hajj will cost a pilgrim in the range of Rs1,150,000 to Rs1,250,000. This was stated by Ministry of Religious Affairs Secretary Dr Syed Ataur Rehman, while chairing the meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Religious Affairs. The committee was informed that the 64,000 pilgrims who were supposed to perform Hajj through private tour operators but unable to perform Hajj because of delay and lack of coordination between the Ministry and Saudi Government, dot not have to pay additional amount to perform Hajj. Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Sardar Mohammed Yousaf said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif already told the ministry to give priority to those pilgrims who were unable to perform Hajj because of change in policy by the Saudi Government which the ministry was unable to implement on time. On this issue, Senator Aon Abbas presented the report of the sub-committee on the findings and reasons which deprived large number of pilgrims managed by private tour operators from performing the Hajj. He said in the past, 902 tour operators used to provide services to pilgrims but this year the Saudi Government reduced their number to 42. He said those 42 tour operators did not have the capacity to manage such a huge number of pilgrims. He said the restriction of State Bank to provide foreign exchange only up to $0.3 million to tour operators also caused lot of problems for them. Apart from this, the attitude of the Ministry of Religious Affairs was not cooperative towards the tour operators, he added. He said the DG Hajj because of unprecedented powers was not answerable to anyone. Senator Aon Abbas, in his recommendations, said that the committee should directed the ministry that from now on, the DG Hajj should be appointed on merit and he must be familiar with Saudi culture and must know Arabic. He said the committee and the ministry should also urge the State Bank to increase the buying limit of dollars for the tour operators from $0.3 million to $1 million. Senator Allama Raja Nasir Abbas said that the government should have taken Shia and other Ulemas on board before barring pilgrims from travelling to Iraq and Iran by road for this year's Arbaeen pilgrimage due to regional security concerns. He said thousands of Zaireen had already deposited billions of rupees to tour operators for the pilgrimage to holy places in Iran and Iraq. He said the air fare for Iran and Iraq is very high which the majority of pilgrims cannot afford. Religious Affairs Minister Sardar Mohammed Yousaf said that the Interior Ministry made this decision after consultations with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Balochistan Government, and key security agencies. He said that the restriction is based on safety and national security concerns linked to threats along the land routes. He said despite the ban on road travel, the government will facilitate pilgrims through air travel. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed authorities to arrange as many flights as possible to accommodate Zaireen in the coming days. Officials said the decision aims to ensure public safety while allowing religious pilgrims to continue their journey by other means. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Express Tribune
14-07-2025
- Express Tribune
Govt plans to expand Hajj quota
The federal government is finalising a new Hajj policy that will request an expanded quota of 255,000 pilgrims for Pakistan next year, up from this year's 189,000. The policy, which is being prepared in consultation with stakeholders and will soon be tabled before the cabinet, also aims to explore the resumption of Hajj travel by sea and extend Saudi Arabia's "Road to Makkah" immigration facility to more Pakistani airports. The developments were shared during a meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Religious Affairs on Monday. The panel met under the chairmanship of Malik Amir Dogar at the Parliament House, where Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Sardar Muhammad Yousaf gave a comprehensive briefing on this year's Hajj arrangements. He said this year's pilgrimage was "one of the most successful in recent memory", adding that the Saudi government and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had congratulated the Pakistani authorities for the well-executed operations. "For the first time, Pakistan received an 'Excellence Award' from the Saudi government for its outstanding Hajj management," he told the committee. He added that Pakistani pilgrims were provided with air-conditioned facilities at key ritual sites including Arafat. Yousaf said a new Hajj policy is being formulated under the instructions of the prime minister and in line with Saudi guidelines, and would soon be presented before the federal cabinet. Members of the committee were invited to share suggestions for the new policy. He added that the Saudi authorities had already issued their updated Hajj policy on 12th Dhul Hijjah. Regarding registration for Hajj 2025, the minister revealed that over 455,000 people had already signed up. "Pakistan's previous quota was 189,000 pilgrims. Next year, we hope to receive an expanded quota of 255,000, for which we've submitted a request to the Saudi authorities," he added. The committee also discussed reducing Hajj costs by offering installment-based payment options, resuming travel by sea routes and limiting the use of luxury accommodations. Without mahram During the session, the committee also discussed the Saudi government's recent policy allowing women to perform Hajj and Umrah without a mahram (male guardian). While the minister confirmed that no Pakistani pilgrims were assigned to any Indian company - clarifying that a firm named "Asia Bhart" was mistaken for an Indian entity due to its name - a member raised religious concerns. The committee subsequently decided to seek the opinion of the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) on the permissibility of women travelling without a mahram for pilgrimage under Islamic teachings.
