ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani government on Friday announced that people willing to perform Hajj this year could submit their applications online from May 1 to 13, with a token money of Rs50,000 ($270).
After a hiatus of two years due to COVID-19 pandemic, Saudi Arabia this year announced holding the annual Hajj pilgrimage for all Muslims across the globe.
In 2020 and 2021, the kingdom held Hajj only for locals in the wake of the pandemic.
“This is good news for all of us that Saudi Arabia has allowed Hajj for all the Muslims across the world,” Religious Affairs Minister Mufti Abdul Shakoor said at a news conference in Islamabad.
The minister said Hajj applicants could submit their applications online and deposit Rs50,000 token money in designated banks. Those who wanted to submit their applications in banks could visit the designated branches in the same period, he added.
The submission of the applications would be conditional as the Saudi government has yet to convey Pakistan about the exact expenditure for Hajj.
The minister said the per person cost may range from Rs700,000 ($3,770) to Rs1,000,000 ($5,386), owing to the increase in taxes and cost of other facilities in the kingdom. “We are discussing different proposals with the Saudi government, but we should be ready for this cost,” he said.
Shakoor said Pakistan had yet to receive a final Hajj cost estimation from Saudi Arabia and the South Asian country’s Hajj Directorate-General in Jeddah was continuously in touch with relevant Saudi departments.
The Saudi government has slashed the Hajj quota for all Muslim countries to 45 percent and distributed this one-million share among all the nations.
The minister said Pakistan will be sending 81,132 pilgrims for this year’s Hajj, according to the revised quota.
The government would distribute 60 percent of its allocated quota to private Hajj operators and 40 percent to itself, with 65 years as the maximum age limit for pilgrims.
As per the policy, pilgrims would be required to be fully vaccinated with a booster dose and have to undergo a PCR test at least 72 hours before the departure to make sure they were coronavirus-negative.
Health certificates, valid identity cards and machine-readable passports with at least six-month validity would be mandatory for pilgrims traveling to Saudi Arabia.
“Besides these conditions, we will be conveying a final cost estimation and all other mandatory requirements to all potential pilgrims as soon as we get them from the Saudi government,” Shakoor added.
Pakistan opens registration for Hajj 2022
https://arab.news/c4bew
Pakistan opens registration for Hajj 2022
- Islamabad gets to send 81,132 people for the annual pilgrimage this year
- Applications to be submitted online or in designated banks from May 1 to 13
Pakistan weighs Trump Gaza board amid expert calls for Muslim allies’ consultations
- Former diplomats warn board could sideline UN, legitimize US unilateral plans
- Analysts say Pakistan should assert independent positions if it joins the body
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is weighing an invitation from US President Donald Trump to join a proposed international “Board of Peace” on Gaza, a move that has sparked debate among former diplomats and foreign policy experts who warned Tuesday it could sideline the United Nations and urge Islamabad to consult close Muslim allies.
The White House announced on Friday some members of the board, which is expected to supervise the temporary governance of Gaza under a fragile ceasefire in place since October and continue beyond that transitional phase.
These names included US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Trump’s special Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, former British prime minister Tony Blair and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. Trump himself would chair the board, according to a plan unveiled by the White House in October.
Pakistan’s foreign office confirmed on Sunday that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had also received an invitation to join the proposed body, stressing that “the country will remain engaged with international efforts for peace and security in Gaza, leading to a lasting solution to the Palestine issue in accordance with United Nations resolutions.”
“Since the Trump ‘Board of Peace’ is more like an international NGO now, which would include [Indian Prime Minister Narendra] Modi and [Israel’s Benjamin] Netanyahu, Pakistan should carefully take a decision in consultation with its close Muslim allies like Turkiye, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, Egypt and Indonesia, and it should be a joint decision of these countries together,” Former federal minister and analyst Mushahid Hussain told Arab News.
“Otherwise, there is no point in being in the queue just to please Trump,” he added.
Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas have agreed that a Palestinian technocratic administration would operate under the oversight of an international board during a transitional period.
Hussain said that if Pakistan did decide to join the board, it should use the platform to clearly articulate its long-held positions.
“Pakistan should play the role of boldly promoting the right of self-determination of the peoples of Palestine and Kashmir, both occupied territories, and oppose any aggression against Iran, as peace and occupation or aggression cannot coexist,” he said.
International affairs analyst and author Naseem Zehra said Pakistan’s participation could still be justified if it allowed Islamabad to assert independent positions on global conflicts.
“Donald Trump has invited 60 heads of states and prime ministers to become part of the peace board, which is more like an alternative to the United Nations,” she said, referring to media reports about the board’s mandate. “If Pakistan is invited among 60 countries, it is acceptable for Pakistan to participate, and with a seat at the table, Pakistan can share its own view of how global issues can be resolved.”
Zehra added that Pakistan’s past diplomatic conduct showed it could maintain principled positions while engaging internationally.
Former ambassador to the United States Maleeh Lodhi took a stronger view, warning that the initiative appeared designed to bypass established international mechanisms.
“Pakistan should not join the Board for many reasons,” she said. “Its aim is for President Trump to get international support and legitimacy for his unilateral plans not just in Gaza but beyond, without member states having any real power.”
“It is being set up to supplant the UN in its primary role of maintaining international peace and security, with Trump effectively calling all the shots,” she added.
When contacted, Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif declined to comment and referred queries to the foreign office.
However, the foreign ministry spokesman Tahir Andrabi did not respond to Arab News requests for comment by the time of filing.
Pakistan has consistently supported Palestinian statehood under United Nations resolutions and has publicly criticized Israeli military operations in Gaza, while also opposing broader regional escalations, including attacks on Iran.
