Pakistanis participating in this year's Hajj will be provided accommodation close to the Masjid-e-Nabawi during their stay in Madina, Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Talha Mahmood said Tuesday.
Mahmood said accommodation and food arrangements for pilgrims during their stay in Madina would be finalised soon, Radio Pakistan reported.
He made the comment in a meeting with Undersecretary of Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Hajj and Umrah Muhammad bin Abdul Rahman Al-Bijawi in Madina.
During the meeting, the future strategy of Hajj arrangements, pilgrimage to Madina and facilities on the road to Makkah were discussed in detail.
Mahmood also appreciated Saudi authorities' arrangements for people at the two holiest mosques during Ramadan.
Separately, the minister also advised pilgrims to learn how to use the Saudi mobile application 'Nusuk' for offering nawafil at Masjid-e-Nabawi's Riaz-ul-Jannah.
He said efforts were underway to ensure that half of the pilgrims who perform Hajj on the 'Government Hajj Scheme' complete the pilgrimage to Madina before Hajj.
Last month, Mufti Abdul Shakoor — the late minister for religious affairs — said that 179,210 Pakistani pilgrims would perform Hajj this year.
The estimated Hajj cost for the northern region — which includes Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar, Multan, Faisalabad, Rahim Yar Khan, and Sialkot — is Rs1,175,000 while for the southern region, it is Rs1,165,000.
The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) had already announced that its pre-Hajj operation would start on May 21 and continue till August 12 during which the national flag carrier would lift 38,000 pilgrims to Saudi Arabia.
“Pre Hajj operation will commence from 1st Zilqad till 4th Zilhajj, 1444 corresponding to Gregorian date 21st May till 22nd June 2023 (subject to moon sighting),” according to PIA Hajj circular.
The national flag carrier has decided to charge fares in US dollars for the second year in a row and fixed the fares for pilgrims going to Saudi Arabia under the private Hajj scheme from $870 to $1180 for the Southern region that includes Karachi, Quetta, Sukkur, Hyderabad.
This decision came after the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony decided to allocate a 50% special quota in the Government Hajj Scheme-2023 for the pilgrims who will pay in US dollars.
On the other hand, the airfares for the pilgrims from the northern region were in the range of $910 to $1,220. The northern sector includes Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar, Multan, and other cities.
The cost of a complete government Hajj scheme-based pilgrimage would be Rs1.25 million.
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