ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani government has received a little more than 3,800 applications for its Hajj sponsorship scheme against a quota of 25,000 individuals this year, the Pakistani religious affairs ministry said on Sunday, as an extended deadline to apply under the scheme ended.
The Hajj sponsorship scheme was introduced by the government this year, allowing overseas Pakistanis to apply for Hajj or sponsor someone in Pakistan for the journey by paying in US dollars. In return, the applicants would not have to participate in the balloting process for the pilgrimage.
Out of Pakistan’s total quota of 179,210 pilgrims, 89,000 had been allocated to government schemes, while the remaining would be facilitated by private Hajj operators. Under the government’s general scheme, 63,805 individuals remained successful in balloting held this week, while a quota of 25,000 was allotted for the sponsorship scheme.
“Today is the last day for the Hajj sponsorship scheme, and there will be no further extension in it,” Muhammad Umer Butt, a spokesperson for the Pakistani religious affairs ministry, told Arab News.
“The total quota this year is 25,000 while we have received 3,840 applications so far.”
Butt said the exact figure would be clear by the next week and any remaining unutilized quota would be returned to Saudi Arabia, as announced by the government.
The Pakistani religious ministry has already conveyed the anticipated number of pilgrims to different airlines so that they could submit their flight schedules to the Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation within its deadline of January 2, according to Butt. This would help ensure seamless flight operations for Hajj 2024.
Hajj is an annual Islamic pilgrimage that requires every Muslim adult to undertake a journey to the holy sites in Makkah at least once in their life if they are physically and financially capable of doing so.
Pakistan receives just over 3,800 applications for Hajj sponsorship scheme as deadline ends
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Pakistan receives just over 3,800 applications for Hajj sponsorship scheme as deadline ends
- The scheme allows overseas Pakistanis to apply for Hajj or sponsor someone in Pakistan by paying in US dollars
- Pakistan allocated a quota of 25,000 for the sponsorship scheme and 64,000 under government’s regular scheme
Pakistan says Sri Lanka to ease visa restrictions after Colombo talks
- Pakistan Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi meets Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake in Colombo
- Naqvi informs Sri Lankan president about visa-related difficulties being faced by Pakistani nationals
KARACHI: Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has assured Islamabad that the island nation will ease visa restrictions for Pakistani citizens, the Pakistani interior ministry said on Tuesday.
Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, who is also the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), met Dissanayake during a visit to the country on Tuesday. The Pakistani minister arrived in Sri Lanka last week to watch the T20 World Cup cricket clash between India and Pakistan in Colombo on Sunday.
Naqvi informed the Sri Lankan president about visa-related difficulties being faced by Pakistani nationals during the meeting, the interior ministry said in a statement.
“The Sri Lankan president took immediate notice and directed that Pakistan be removed from all such lists without delay,” it said.
Both sides held detailed discussions on counterterrorism, counternarcotics and joint training between their security forces, the statement added.
Naqvi thanked Dissanayake for the arrangements the government had taken to accommodate Pakistan’s matches in Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan president reaffirmed his commitment to strengthen ties with Pakistan further.
Dissanayake also conveyed a message of thanks for Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for allowing the national men’s cricket team to play its cricket match against India.
Pakistan’s government earlier this month announced it would not allow the cricket team to play against India to express solidarity with Bangladesh. The International Cricket Council (ICC) last month replaced Bangladesh with Scotland after the former said it would not play its matches in India owing to security concerns. The move drew sharp protests from the cricket boards of Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Pakistan withdrew its decision and cleared the national team to play against India following negotiations with the ICC. Dissanayake had also spoken to Sharif and requested Pakistan to call off its boycott against India.
Pakistan and Sri Lanka share long-standing ties with cooperation across various sectors. In December last year, Pakistan provided assistance to Sri Lanka in the form of relief aid and rescue workers following disastrous floods across the tropical island nation.
