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Pakistan receives over 26,000 Hajj applications in a week

Thousands of Muslim pilgrims make their way across the valley of Mina, in western Saudi Arabia, to perform the "stoning of the devil" ritual on July 9, 2022. (AFP/File)
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Updated 23 March 2023
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Pakistan receives over 26,000 Hajj applications in a week

  • The last date for submitting Hajj applications in Pakistan is March 31
  • Over 179,000 Pakistani pilgrims are expected to perform Hajj this year
Updated 23 March 2023
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani banks have received over 26,000 Hajj applications from March 16 to 22, the country's religious affairs ministry said on Thursday, as the deadline to apply for the spiritual pilgrimage nears.

The Hajj is a spiritual journey that every Muslim adult must undertake once in his lifetime, to the holy sites in Makkah and Madinah, if he is sound of mind and financially and physically able to do so. It is one of the important five pillars of the Islamic faith.

The deadline to apply for the Hajj pilgrimage will expire on March 31. This year, 179,210 pilgrims from Pakistan are expected to travel to the kingdom after Riyadh restored Pakistan's pre-pandemic Hajj quota and also scrapped the upper age limit of 65 years to perform the pilgrimage. 

"Banks have received over 26,000 [Hajj] applications till March 22," Pakistan's Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony said in a statement. It added that the government would issue further directives to banks to facilitate pilgrims in the process after receiving their feedback. 

The ministry added that overseas Pakistanis would also be able to submit their medical fitness certificates that they received abroad. It said Hajj pilgrims who have not been vaccinated against coronavirus, can submit their applications after receiving a single dose of any of the vaccines approved by the kingdom. 

"However, they will have to get themselves fully vaccinated before departure and submit their certificates," the ministry said. "Apart from NADRA, any foreign vaccine certificate will also be accepted."

The ministry said that to accept Hajj applications, specified branches of designated banks would remain open on Saturday, March 25 and Sunday, March 26.

It said that pilgrims would have to buy the "Qurbani" [sacrifice] coupons in Saudi Arabia themselves, adding that the Pakistani Hajj Mission in the kingdom would facilitate them in doing so.

"The Qurbani coupon costs between SR700-1,000," the religion ministry said, adding that Hajj pilgrims would be informed when they would be required to submit their passports or get their biometric for the journey done. 

"Hajj applications will only be processed through selected banks," it added. 

Topics: Pakistan Hajj 2023

At least 16 dead after Karachi building collapses in suspected gas blast 

Updated 5 sec ago
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At least 16 dead after Karachi building collapses in suspected gas blast 

  • Four children and seven women among the dead, 13 people injured 
  • Incident follows recent Gul Plaza fire, highlighting urban safety concerns
Updated 5 sec ago
NAIMAT KHAN

KARACHI: At least 16 people were killed and 13 injured on Thursday when a residential building collapsed after a suspected gas explosion in Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi, rescue authorities said.

Deadly accidents linked to gas leaks and unsafe infrastructure are frequent in Karachi’s crowded low-income neighborhoods, where households commonly rely on gas cylinders and informal connections with limited safety enforcement. The collapse comes weeks after a major fire at the city’s Gul Plaza shopping mall killed over 70 people and underscored concerns about building safety and regulatory oversight.

The latest incident occurred in the densely populated Soldier Bazaar area, according to a Rescue 1122 Sindh spokesperson. The dead included four children, seven women and five men, while the injured comprised five children, three women and five men.

“During a timely and professional operation, Rescue 1122 pulled 13 injured people from under the rubble and recovered 16 bodies,” Rescue 1122 Sindh spokesperson Hassan Khan said in a statement.

“Those injured in the incident were pulled from the debris and provided immediate medical assistance.”

He said urban search-and-rescue teams, firefighters and disaster response vehicles were dispatched to the site, with victims transported to nearby hospitals.

“All injured were provided first aid by Rescue 1122 ambulances at the scene before being shifted to nearby hospitals, while the rescue operation by Rescue 1122 (Sindh) was still under way,” the spokesperson added.

Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon directed authorities to ensure proper medical treatment for the injured.

“He also urged citizens to exercise caution in the use of gas and to immediately inform the relevant authorities in case of any suspected leakage,” the provincial government said in a statement.

Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city, has repeatedly witnessed building collapses and fires linked to weak enforcement of construction rules, aging infrastructure and unsafe energy practices.

Topics: Karachi Building collapse Gas blast

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