ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Religious Affairs Minister Noor-ul-Haq Qadri has said his government would not increase expenses for the Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages this year, assuring pilgrims of the best possible facilities during their travel to the Muslim holy sites in Saudi Arabia, state-run Radio Pakistan reported.
Performed in the Islamic month of Zil Hajj, the annual Hajj pilgrimage is a central pillar of Islam and a must for able-bodied Muslims at least once in their lifetime. Umrah, which is non-mandatory, can be performed at any time of the year.
Millions of Muslims gather in the holy city of Makkah to perform the annual Hajj pilgrimage, which has been held at a small scale since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. The kingdom allowed only 1,000 pilgrims for the Hajj in 2020, a far cry from the 2.5 million who participated in the five-day annual pilgrimage in 2019 before the pandemic. In 2021, the number was increased to 60,000.
“The government will not increase [Hajj and Umrah] expenses this year,” Qadri said, adding that he hoped Pakistanis would be allowed to perform Hajj and Umrah as the coronavirus situation was improving. He said his ministry was in contact with the Saudi government on the matter.
In separate comments carried by the state-run APP news agency on Monday, the minister said all stakeholders had agreed to set up a ‘Qur’an Board’ to ensure the “exact and correct printing of the Holy Qur’an at the national level.”
His comments came after a meeting of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Religious Affairs, which unanimously passed a bill to amend the Publication of the Holy Qur’an (Elimination of Printing and Recording Errors) Act, 1973.
The committee discussed the lack of a national-level department for the protection and standardization of the printing of the Holy Qur’an. The participants underlined the need for establishing a national-level Qur’an Board for this purpose.
The amended act will also ensure the recycling of old pages of the holy book in a dignified and responsible manner.
