Federal Government approves Hajj policy for year 2020

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Media and Broadcasting in a media briefing on Tuesday in Islamabad announced the approval of Hajj policy 2020, ARY News reported.

Sitting alongside Noorul Haq Qadri, SAPM Awan said that the cabinet committee meeting chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan earlier in the day had given formal approval for the initiative.

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Minister for religious affairs, Noorul Haq Qadri on the occasion said that the government of Saudi Arabia has allotted 189210 Hajj applicants in the annual quota for the holy pilgrimage.

60 percent of the Hajj hopefuls will be sent via the government Hajj quota scheme and the remaining 40 percent will resort to private measures to undertake the journey, said Qadri.

“The prime minister of Pakistan has raised concerns over the price hikes made by the government of Saudi Arabia on boarding and lodging expenses which pilgrims would need to bear this time,” said the minister.

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“The entire expenditure for Hajj this time around will be 490 thousand Pakistani rupees.”

Noorul Haq Qadri also announced that those aged above 70 and willing to travel for Hajj will automatically be entered in the government draw for Hajj quota scheme.