ISLAMABAD, Oct 23: Balloting was held on Thursday at the Religious Affairs, Zakat and Ushr Ministry to select 120,000 intending pilgrims out of the 164,249 applicants under regular scheme for the Haj-2004.

The ministry has placed particulars of all the intending pilgrims under regular scheme on its website “www.hajj.gov.pk”.

Parliamentary Secretary for Religious Affairs Syed Murtaza Gillani, Member of the National Assembly Standing Committee for Religious Affairs Hafiz Hussain Ahmed, Religious Affairs Ministry Secretary Rashid Mehmood Ansari, Ulema, journalists and senior officials of the ministry were present.

A spokesman for the ministry talking to the reporters after the balloting said that out of 164,249 applicants, about 96,000 applied for government accommodation while 67,000 opted for private accommodation during Haj.

He said a comprehensive programme had been chalked out to provide necessary facilities and guidance to the intending pilgrims during their stay in Saudi Arabia.

The Directorate Haj, Jeddah, has started hiring suitable buildings at reasonable rent for Pakistani pilgrims. “We have already arranged accommodation for 60,000 pilgrims, while the remaining lodging facility will be made available before the Haj,” he added.

The spokesman said another 10,000 pilgrims would be sent for Haj under the open scheme.

The ministry has received more than 12,500 applications under open Haj scheme through selected branches of seven banks in the country. A ballot to choose pilgrims under the scheme would be held soon, he added.

Like the previous year, the ministry would distribute, booklets, titled Anwar-i-Harmain among the intending pilgrims with useful information concerning administrative instructions, Manasik-i-Haj, prayers and Ziarat, he said.

The spokesman said travelling programme would be communicated to the intending pilgrims after Eidul Fitr, adding the Haj flights would begin from Dec 27.

Letters of “congratulations” had being issued to all the selected pilgrims by the ministry, he added.

The successful pilgrims would have to report at the respective Haji camps where all relevant departments involved in the Haj operation had set up their branches. Besides, ensuring a comfortable stay to the pilgrims at Haji camps, dispensaries, telegraph offices and public call offices would operate round-the-clock.

He said all the residential buildings and training halls located at Haji camps had been renovated where two-day stay for intending pilgrims had been made mandatory for imparting intensive training about Manasik-i-Haj, under the overall supervision of master trainers.

Separate arrangements had been made for women, who would receive training and necessary guidance through women trainers.

Medical check-up of all elderly and handicapped intending pilgrims as well as pregnant women had been made mandatory at the respective Haji camps and the people suffering from fatal diseases would not be allowed to proceed for Haj.

He said to facilitate the departure of pilgrims, the ministry was recruiting seasonal Haj staff, who along with the existing Haj personnel deputed in the camps, would ensure to make the stay of pilgrims comfortable and assist them in getting traveller cheques, passports and tickets from the relevant offices.

Similarly, the personnel of the Haj directorate, based in Jeddah, would be present at Jeddah International Airport to receive as well as provide necessary guidance to the pilgrims.—APP