The number of Hajj applications under the government scheme has improved as the present government is making serious efforts to facilitate the pilgrims. An official of the religious affairs ministry revealed that 280,000 applications were received this year against the allocated quota of 70,000 under the government scheme for Hajj. "As many as 210,000 people could not avail the government scheme. It is impossible to adjust such a huge number of people in any quota," he added.
He said that in 2012, the ministry had received 65,000 which is 5000 less than the 70 percent allocated quota of the Hajj scheme, adding the reason behind the lack of interest by the people at the time were poor arrangements and rampant corruption by those at helm of affairs. The number of applications received this year reflects that the present government is making serious efforts to facilitate the pilgrims as much as it can, he said, adding the prime minister has issued strict orders that any inconvenience to pilgrims will not be tolerated.
He said that the quota for parliamentarians in government Hajj scheme has also been abolished and the prime minister reduced the hardship cases hajj quota from five percent to three percent in Hajj policy 2016 to accommodate maximum pilgrims in the balloting. "The main objective of hardship quota was to accommodate broken families, labourers and low income people...the situation has improved to a great extent compared to the past," he added.
The official said that Pakistan intends to keep track of all its Hajj pilgrims by providing them with lockets/bracelets that can monitor their movements and ensure that they do not go missing in the event of a stampede. The plan was drawn up in the wake of a string of tragedies during Hajj-2015, which left people searching for their near and dear ones, he said, adding each pilgrim will be tracked and accounted for.
"After long deliberations, the government decided to issue the devices for protecting Pakistani pilgrims from getting lost during accidents. The trackers will be attached to a centrally controlled monitoring system working round the clock in both the holy cities of Saudi Arabia," he explained. About frequent complaints of accommodation for pilgrims, the official said that it had been decided that all Pakistani pilgrims would have their dwellings within 500 meters of the holy places in Makkah and Medina.
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