The Ministry of Religious Affairs received 72,869 applications under the regular Hajj scheme against this year’s quota of 44,190, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar has revealed.
The Finance Minister announced that the federal government has decided to accept all applications and send all 72,869 applicants on Hajj without balloting.
The decision has been taken on the direction of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and on the recommendation of the Ministry of Religious Affairs.
The Finance Minister also said that the Ministry of Religious Affairs will require additional resources including foreign exchange to send more Hajj pilgrims than the fixed quota under the regular scheme.
Religious Affairs Minister, Mufti Abdul Shakoor, said that the entire world is grappling with a financial crisis and Pakistan is no different.
On 31 March, the Ministry of Religious Affairs had extended the deadline for submission of Hajj applications under the sponsorship scheme till 7 April. The deadline for submitting Hajj applications under the sponsorship scheme will end tomorrow.
