ISLAMABAD: More than 54,000 applications have been received from across Pakistan under the Hajj scheme run by the federal government, the religious affairs ministry said, as the process to apply ends today, Tuesday.
Saudi Arabia has allotted Pakistan a total quota of 179,210 pilgrims for the upcoming Hajj pilgrimage, to be divided equally between the government and private schemes. Around 15 designated Pakistani banks started receiving applications for Hajj 2025 from intending pilgrims on Nov. 18. The deadline to file Hajj applications is Dec. 3 while the draw for the government scheme will be held on Dec. 6.
“Tomorrow [Tuesday] is the last day for receiving Hajj applications in the government scheme,” a spokesman for the religious affairs ministry said in a statement. “More than 54,000 applications have been received from across the country so far.”
The religious affairs ministry announced the country’s Hajj 2025 policy last month, under which pilgrims can pay fees for the annual pilgrimage in installments for the first time.
Under the government scheme, the first installment of Hajj dues, Rs200,000 ($717), must be deposited along with the Hajj application, while a second installment of Rs400,000 ($1,435) has to be deposited within ten days of the balloting. The remaining amount has to be deposited by Feb. 10 next year.
Pakistan’s religious affairs ministry has launched the “Pak Hajj 2025” mobile application to guide and facilitate pilgrims. The app is available for both Android and iPhone users.
The Pakistan government has also announced a significant reduction in airfares for Hajj 2025, with a Rs14,000 drop in ticket prices. Pilgrims enrolled in the federal program will now pay Rs220,000 for airfare, down from last year’s Rs234,000. National carrier Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), Saudi Airlines, and other private airlines have agreed to the relief package, according to the Pakistan government.
Over 54,000 applications received as Pakistan government Hajj scheme concludes today
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Over 54,000 applications received as Pakistan government Hajj scheme concludes today
- Deadline to file Hajj applications is Dec. 3, draw under government scheme will be held on Dec. 6
- Saudi Arabia has allotted Pakistan a quota of 179,210 pilgrims for upcoming Hajj pilgrimage
Pakistan army chief meets world leaders in rare Davos appearance
- Field Marshal Asim Munir attends World Economic Forum alongside prime minister
- Pakistan delegation holds meetings with US, Saudi and Azerbaijani leaders
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir is attending the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos this week alongside Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, marking a rare appearance by a serving army chief at the global gathering of political and business leaders.
Pakistan’s participation at Davos comes as Islamabad seeks to attract investment, project economic stability and deepen engagement with key international partners following recent reforms aimed at stabilizing the economy.
While Pakistani leaders routinely attend the World Economic Forum, it is uncommon for a serving army chief to be present. In 2017, former army chief Raheel Sharif addressed the forum only after his retirement, while General Pervez Musharraf spoke at Davos on a number of occasions in his role as president, not as military chief.
Pakistan’s governance structure has evolved in recent years, particularly through the expanded role of the military in economic decision-making through bodies such as the Special Investment Facilitation Council, a civil-military platform designed to fast-track foreign investment in sectors including minerals, energy, agriculture and technology.
“The Prime Minister and the Field Marshal met with the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud,” Sharif’s office said in a statement.
Officials say the delegation’s engagements focused on strengthening economic ties and maintaining high-level contact with partners in the Middle East, Central Asia and the United States at a time of shifting global economic and strategic alignments.
The World Economic Forum’s annual meeting brings together heads of state, ministers, investors and corporate leaders to discuss global economic risks, investment trends and geopolitical challenges. Davos is not a military forum, and while security issues are discussed there, the physical presence of a serving military chief remains the exception, not the norm, across countries. When military figures do appear, it is usually because they are heads of state or government, retired and speaking as security experts or hold a civilian defense portfolio such as defense minister or national security adviser.
