ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony on Monday conducted another round of balloting to select 7,309 persons to perform the Hajj pilgrimage through the government Hajj scheme.
Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Sahibzada Pir Noor-ul-Haq Qadri pressed the button to conduct the balloting.
The minister said the Saudi government has given an additional quota of 15,790 to Pakistan, out of which 60 percent (9,474) have been allocated to the government Hajj scheme and remaining 6,316 would be distributed among the enlisted Hajj group organizers.
He said 216,542 applications were received this year, out of which 107,526 were declared successful in balloting conducted on March 11.
The remaining 108,607 unsuccessful applicants of that time were included in the second balloting, he said, adding that the total quota was 9,474 out of which 1.5 percent (142) quota had been reserved to accommodate hardship cases and 2,023 seats were given to the applicants who remained unsuccessful despite applying thrice in last five years.
Balloting on 7,309 seats has been conducted, while as many as 2,165 seats were allotted without balloting.
In total 200,000 Pakistanis would perform Hajj this year including 117,000 of the government scheme and 83,000 through the private scheme. He said the successful applicants were being informed through SMS right now.
The increase in quota from 184,210 comes on Prime Minister Imran Khan’s request to Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman during his visit to Saudi Arabia in February.
The successful applicants must deposit their dues, passports, and other documents in their respective banks by June 14. He asked the unsuccessful applicants to take back their money from their respective banks.
In case of any problem, they can approach the ministry on 051-9208465. Further information could be obtained from www.hajjinfo.org; Hajj inquiry numbers 051-9205696, 051-9216980, and Hajj helpline number 042-111725425.
He said the ministry would return the hefty amount to government Hajj scheme pilgrims soon. The amount of government Hajj package has been saved from the accommodation, catering, and other expenditures without compromising on the standards, he said.
Saudi Arabia has also included Pakistan in its “Road to Makkah” project, which will allow pilgrims to undergo immigration clearance at Pakistani airports before leaving for Hajj.
Riyadh, on the request of Premier Imran, also decided to provide e-visa facility to Pakistani pilgrims. Under the facility, intending pilgrims will be provided visas at their doorstep.
