The Saudi government has lifted restrictions on international pilgrims for Hajj this year after the pilgrimage was allowed only for locals for the last two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This was revealed by the Federal Minister for Religious Affairs, Mufti Abdul Shakoor, in a recent press conference.
The minister informed that Umrah had also been resumed by the Saudi government with the decline of COVID-19 cases across the globe.
Commenting on the Hajj expenses, the minister said that the announcement of Hajj had come pretty late, and the details of the expenses have not been received yet. Mufti Abdul Shakoor was of the view that the Hajj expenses would be higher due to the cost of social distancing. He estimated that the expenditure would range between Rs. 700,000 to Rs. 1,000,000.
Mufti Abdul Shakoor informed the media that Hajj applications will be received from 1 May to 13 May 2022, whereas the banks will receive applications from 9 to 13 May. In addition, the Hajj applications can also be submitted online. It is to be noted that an Rs. 50,000 token is also to be submitted with the application.
Pakistan has received a quota of 81,000 individuals, which has been divided between the government and the private sector, 60 percent and 40 percent, respectively.
It is pertinent to note that the applicant must not be above 65 years of age.
