ISLAMABAD, July 12: At least 159,500 Pakistanis will perform Haj this year, of which 79,500 pilgrims will travel under the government scheme and the remaining 80,000 under the private tour operators’ scheme.

Designated branches of the HBL, UBL, NBP, MCB and ABL will start receiving Haj applications from July 16 to July 31.

Minister for Religious Affairs Ijazul Haq, while speaking at a news conference here on Thursday, announced the government’s Haj Policy and Plan 2007, which envisages a 10 per cent increase in air fare in comparison to last year.

The application filed by an applicant who has performed Haj in the last five years will not be entertained except in three cases: a Mahram of a lady who did not perform Haj earlier, a group leader and somebody who was performing Haj-i-Badal.

At least Rs118,650 will be received from white category applicants who will travel from Karachi and Quetta while Rs126,350 will be charged from those travelling from other cities.

At least Rs130,750 is to be paid by green category applicants from Karachi and Quetta while Rs138,450 by applicants from other cities.

The quotas fixed last year for parliamentarians will continue this year besides a labourer quota of 500.

Referring to the Supreme Court’s decision of setting up a committee to determine Haj quotas, the minister said the division of Haj pilgrimage under government and private tour operator’s schemes was strictly according to the decision of the government of Saudi Arabia.

Responding to a question, he said action against 14 tour operators, which could include their being blacklisted, is likely to be taken on the complaints of the pilgrims during last year’s Haj.

He said ballot shall be held to keep the applicants within the fixed quota if their number exceeded the laid-down figure, adding that the applicants who had been unsuccessful in the ballot during the last two consecutive years under the government scheme shall be declared successful without ballot.

Under the scheme, two categories have been made in Makkah Mukarrama based on the distance of their residence from Haram Sharif; 1,800 Saudi Riyals will be charged from pilgrims in the white category who live at a distance of 1,500 metres and SR 2,500 from pilgrims in the green category.

The minister said that the government had decided to conduct comprehensive training programmes for intending Haj pilgrims on the tehsil level besides providing Haj material, including two booklets and a CD.