ISLAMABAD – A total of 179,256 Pakistanis will perform haj this year under the government and private quotas at an expense ranging from Rs 200,847 to Rs 222,047.
Applications for haj would be invited in the running month of April. While giving briefing on the Draft Haj Policy for 2011, Ministry of Religious Affairs Secretary Shaukat Hayat Durrani told the Senate Standing Committee on Religious Affairs on Wednesday that the ministry has introduced two categories of accommodation for pilgrims this year – white and green.
The residences within 2,000 metres of the limits of Haram Sharif have been tagged “green”, while residences beyond the 2,000 metre-limit have been marked “white”. He said Haj Group Organisers (HGOs) would introduce two categories of the residence – economy and executive.
Durrani said pilgrims embarking from Karachi, Quetta and Sukkar in the white category under the government haj scheme would have to pay Rs 200,847 while those departing from other stations under the same category would be paying Rs 212,847.
