The Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony will hold a draw today (Friday) for selection of pilgrims for the Hajj 2017 under the government scheme. April 26 was the last day to submit Hajj applications to the ministry through designated banks across the country.
According to official sources, so far the ministry has received 335,353 applications under the government scheme. Last year, a total of 280,617 applications were received. As many as 179,210 Pakistanis are expected to perform the annual pilgrimage this year. The Hajj quota for Pakistan was reduced to 143,368 in 2013, which has now been restored to 179,210 persons.
The expenditures for the North Regions (Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) have been fixed at Rs 280,000 per person this year whereas the expenses for South Region (Karachi, Quetta and Sukkur) would be Rs 270,000 per person. An amount of Rs 13,050 for sacrificial animals is not included in it.
As per the policy, out of the total pilgrims, 60 percent would be facilitated through government scheme while 40 percent would be performing this religious duty through private Hajj operators. Sources said the applicants who have performed Hajj during the last seven years would not be eligible to apply for Hajj 2017 under government scheme while for private Hajj schemes the limit has been restricted to five years. The successful applicants would be informed through letters and text messages, whereas the results of successful candidates would also be available at www.mora.gov.pk and www.hajjinfo.org.
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