As many as 143,368 people will go to Saudi Arabia for performing Hajj this year and applications for fulfilling this important Islamic obligation would be received from April 15 to 23. The Hajj policy 2015 was presented on Friday in the National Assembly Standing Committee on Religious Affairs and Inter-Faith Harmony. The meeting was held under the chairmanship of Syed Imran Ahmad Shah in the Parliament House.
According to the policy document, 50 percent of the Hajj quota would be given to private Hajj group organisers while the remaining 50 percent will be taken care of by the government.
The committee members said that the government must try to provide maximum facilities to the people going to perform Hajj and also keep a close watch on the private tour operators in case of pilgrims facilitation.
The Hajj policy bars all those from performing Hajj this year who have already performed Hajj in the last five years, the committee members were apprised. Last date to apply for the Hajj is April 23 while a list of the successful candidates would be displayed on April 28.
The policy of first come first serve basis has been abolished while all the successful candidates would be announced through balloting, the policy document said. The accommodation during the Hajj in Makkah would cost an individual some 3,000 Saudi Riyals while it would cost around 600 Riyals in Medina.
There will be no free Hajj as per practice in the vogue while the original Hajj quota of 179,210 persons allocated to Pakistan has been reduced by 20 percent due to expansion of Haram Sharif and is accordingly fixed at 143,368 persons. Each candidate will have to pay Rs 255,271 to perform Hajj.
International machine readable passport, NADRA identity card and medical certificates would be mandatory for all candidates, the policy document said.
The committee was further informed that it was proposed that there would be a Parliamentary Hajj Advisory Committee under the chairmanship of the Minister for Religious Affairs and Inter-Faith Harmony to advise work plan, policy, planning and management of Hajj operation 2015 in Pakistan as well as in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The parliamentary committee would also suggest measures for improvement of welfare services for Hujjaj, besides overseeing the hiring process and the buildings hired by the Hiring Committee.
The standing committee also discussed the private members' bills regarding the education of the Holy Quran according to recitation by sighting and with translation, learning by heart and with correct pronunciation Bill, 2014, moved by Sahibzada Muhammad Yaqub, MNA.
The secretary of Ministry of Religious Affairs and Inter-faith Harmony informed the committee members that his ministry has no objection on education of Nazra Quran with translation, Hifz and Tajweed. The committee referred the bill to the Ministry of Education for further discussion in the Inter-Provincial Education Ministers Conference for further discussion.
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