PESHAWAR: For much of his life, Sanaullah Khan stashed away money in the hopes of one day traveling from his village in a remote mountainous region of northwest Pakistan to perform the most sacred, once-in-a-lifetime obligation for Muslims: the Hajj pilgrimage. 

But then he got a call from his bank asking him to collect the pilgrimage deposit of Rs463,000 ($2,760). 

Khan, 52, is one of 2.5 million Muslims globally, almost 180,000 from Pakistan, whose plans were upended when Saudi Arabia restricted this year’s Hajj event to only 1,000 local residents who live in the kingdom to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. 

"I felt as if the sky had fallen down the day I got the phone call from the bank," the farmer from the impoverished town of Gomal on the edge of the South Waziristan tribal district told Arab News. 

Soon, news reached relatives and neighbors, and the whole community of Gomal poured into Khan's home to offer condolences and pray that his dream come true next year.

"They came to my home to console me as if they were there to offer condolences over the death of a close relative," Khan said, "For most of my life, I was saving money every month with a hope to perform the Hajj, but the pandemic shattered my dream."

"They were reassuring me that this is God's will and I should show patience," Khan added.

In many countries, even people who can afford the expense of travelling to Makkah often wait years to be included in their country’s quota of pilgrims, set by Saudi Arabia with the aim of equalizing the opportunity for Hajj across Muslim countries. 

Pakistan's quota for this year was 179,210 pilgrims.

Last year, too, Khan was all set to go but withdrew his Hajj application at the last minute so his ailing brother could travel instead. 

Khalid Anwar, a government employee and Khan’s neighbor, said he had twice visited his friend to offer condolences and  “to explain that the pandemic affected millions of intending pilgrims, not only him."

But for the ageing Khan, missing Hajj this year is an inconsolable blow.

"My only wish at this age is to visit Makkah and Madinah," Khan said, "If I am still alive and can still afford it."