Draw for govt Hajj scheme to be held on Sunday

ISLAMABAD: Draw for the government Hajj scheme will be held on May 15 (Sunday).

In a statement, the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony on Friday said 57,593 applications were received and now the process of receiving applications for the government Hajj scheme had been closed.

The ministry said bank officials would complete verification and online data entry till May 14. The ministry has sent confirmation messages to applicants.

Applicants have been asked to verify their particulars from ministry’s website.

Read more: Hajj applications will be received by Friday, says ministry

On May 11, the ministry had asked the applicants that passport, health certificate, Saudi Arabian approved vaccine certificate and token amount of Rs50, 000 must be submitted along with Hajj application. It had further said overseas Pakistanis can submit their passports till 20th of Dhul Qa’dah.

The Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony had asked private tour operators and individuals to refrain from collecting money from the intending pilgrims in advance.

According to the sources, balloting would be used to decide on proposals filed in the form of individuals or groups. The distribution of Hajj quotas between public and private Hajj programmes will be divided 60:40, according to the statement.

The Hajj, one of Islam’s five pillars, must be performed at least once in the lifetime of any Muslim who has the financial wherewithal to do so. Around 2.5 million people attended last year’s event, making it one of the biggest religious gatherings in the world.

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