Federal Minister for Religious Affairs, Sardar Muhammad Yousaf has confirmed that 90,000 Pakistanis will perform Hajj this year under the official Hajj scheme.
Hajj flight operations under the government scheme are expected to begin from April 29.
He said the pilgrimage preparations, including vaccination and training are well underway.
Hajj training sessions are set to commence from April 8, and pilgrims are being briefed about all necessary health protocols, including vaccination requirements, he said.
The Hajj package cost has been Rs11,50,000 for short-term pilgrims and Rs10,50,000 for long-term pilgrims this year.
He said he had met with Saudi officials and inspected Hajj arrangements in the country.
He also clarified that Umrah visas are usually suspended ahead of the Hajj season to streamline pilgrimage operations.
Visas problem ahead of Hajj
Earlier, Saudi Arabia temporarily suspended Umrah visas for 14 countries including Pakistan.
However, government sources rejected the social media reports that Saudi Arabia banned Umrah visas for Pakistanis.
“Some false information is being spread on social media that Saudi Arabia has banned visas from 14 countries and has also banned Umrah visas, which include Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, etc,” stated the sources.
The fact is that the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has announced a ban on visas on specific dates this time too, like every year, in preparation for the Hajj season, which is applicable to all nationalities globally, not just to specific countries and these restrictions will not apply to family or business visas.
