ISLAMABAD: Pakistan next week will start refunding all persons who intended to perform the Hajj under a government scheme, following Saudi Arabia’s decision to limit the annual pilgrimage due to the coronavirus outbreak.
In a statement on Saturday, the Ministry of Religious Affairs said the money deposited by intending pilgrims would be refunded starting July 2 through selected banks across the country. Relevant departments, it said, will send information to applicants over the phone, through SMS.
The applicants will not need to visit banks in person to receive the refund amount.
A total of 180,000 Pakistanis were scheduled to perform the Hajj this year, out of whom over 107,500 registered for the pilgrimage under the government’s program.
On June 22, Saudi authorities announced that this year’s Hajj would be limited to 10,000 people residing in the kingdom to safeguard public health as part of antivirus measures to limit the spread of the deadly disease.
Pakistan and other Muslim countries welcomed the decision, saying it was in line with the principles of Shariah.
In February last year, following Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman’s visit to Islamabad, Pakistan was included in Saudi Arabia’s Road to Makkah initiative which is aimed at facilitating Hajj pilgrims from across the Muslim world.
