A total of 69,534 intending pilgrims were selected through open computerised balloting on Thursday to perform the sacred religious obligation under the Government Hajj Scheme 2016.
Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Sardar Muhammad Yousuf conducted the balloting at the Committee Room of the Ministry of Religious Affairs.
According to details, the selection has been based on groups from one to 14 pilgrims.
The selection of group leader meant selecting the whole group, the minister said, adding that as many as 17,213 groups had been declared successful.
Yousuf announced the names of first aspirants, the group of Noor Rehman from Bajaur Agency, followed by Pervaiz Khan Shakir from Peshawar and Ajmal Shah from Peshawar.
The list of successful applicants will be put on the ministry website by 10:00 pm Thursday. The applicants can check their names by clicking their application numbers www.hajjinfo.com; www.mora.gov.pk.
The successful aspirants will be intimated through text messages on their mobile phones. They will also be sent intimation letters.
The successful applicants can also check their names by visiting their respective banks.
The rejected applicants will be able to take their money back from the banks from Friday. There will be no need to get approval of the ministry in this respect.
A total of 280,617 applications had been received under the government scheme.
The balloting was conducted in collaboration with the Punjab Information Technical Board.