KARACHI: On Wednesday, Dr. Aneeq Ahmed, who is acting as the Federal Minister for Religious Affairs, announced that the government would be saving Rs 0.1 million on Hajj costs while keeping all services the same.
Notably, each pilgrim will get a 30 kg bag, and for the first time, women will get Abaya scarves with the national flag on them.
Dr. Ahmed told reporters at a news gathering at the Haji Camp Karachi about the release of a mobile app that will help pilgrims. This app will help travelers find their way and keep them in touch with the right people at all times. At first, the app will only be offered in English and Urdu. Later, it will also include other regional languages.
Dr. Ahmed said that Islamabad and Karachi have been added to Saudi Arabia’s Road to Makkah project, which will make the Hajj process better. Because of this, Karachi airport can finish the visa process for Hujjaj, which makes their trip easier.
The government has also created a 20-day short Hajj plan to help people who want to go on Hajj have more money. There are efforts being made to make sure that Pakistani Hujjaj stay in tents at Old Mina because the trip to New Mina is hard for pilgrims.
Dr. Ahmed talked about how the Hajj seats are distributed and said that Pakistan has gotten 179,000 seats, with half of them set aside for private Hajj operators.
The government of Religious Affairs will keep an eye on these operators to make sure that pilgrims are safe. If any problems arise for people doing Hajj through private operators, the government will be held responsible.
Dr. Ahmed also talked about the renovations that are still going on at the Haji Camp Karachi building, which shows that the government is still committed to making pilgrimage sites better.
Concerning costs, Dr. Aneeq made it clear that the package that was released does not include Qurbani (sacrifice) costs during Hajj.
Also, people who want to go on Hajj but choose to stay in Medina for less time will get an extra Rs. 35,000 off their costs.
