A meeting of the federal cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, was held today at the Prime Minister’s House in Islamabad. The Federal Cabinet has approved the Hajj Policy 2025, with new guidelines for Pakistani pilgrims.
A total of 179,210 Pakistani pilgrims will be allowed to participate in the pilgrimage next year. The official Hajj package for 2025 will range between Rs. 1,065,000 and Rs. 1,075,000.
The Hajj quota will be divided equally, with half allocated to the Government Scheme and the remaining 50 percent to the Private Hajj Scheme. The federal government has designated 5,000 seats for the Sponsorship Scheme and 25,000 seats under the IVET quota.
The Ministry of Religious Affairs will soon release the schedule for submitting Hajj requests following the Cabinet’s approval. Banks interested in handling Hajj applications have been given a short timeframe to confirm their participation in the selection process.
Under the Hajj policy, children under the age of 12 will not be allowed to travel for Hajj this year. A computerized ballot will be conducted for the government quota, with 1,000 seats reserved for hardship cases. Additionally, 300 seats will be allocated for workers or low-income employees registered with the Workers Welfare Fund or the Employees Old-Age Benefits Institution. The “Road to Makkah” facility will be available at Islamabad and Karachi international airports.
Hajj Group Organizers will sign service provider agreements with the Ministry of Religious Affairs, and their services will be closely monitored.
A new position of “Nazim” has been introduced to oversee the provision of better facilities to pilgrims, with one Nazim appointed for every 100 pilgrims. These Nazims will be selected from the welfare staff. The cabinet was further informed that compensation for pilgrims who die or are injured during Hajj has been increased.
The families of deceased pilgrims will receive compensation of 2 million rupees, up from 1 million, while injured pilgrims will receive 1 million rupees. A special Hajj management application has been developed for the convenience of pilgrims, and special arrangements have been made for their training.
The federal cabinet directed that priority in the Hajj ballot be given to individuals performing Hajj for the first time. It also instructed that all necessary measures be taken to ensure the provision of the best facilities to pilgrims.
