ISLAMABAD: Over 143,368 Pakistanis will perform Haj this year and banks will start receiving applications from Monday.

According to the Haj policy-2016, the applications under government quota will be received till April 26 and balloting will be held on April 29.

Computerised National Identity Card, Machine Readable Passport and medical certificate will be mandatory for every applicant. The passport must be valid till March 2017. The applications of those people who had performed Haj during the last five years will not be entertained.

The applications will be received by the branches of National Bank of Pakistan, Habib Bank Limited, Allied Bank Limited, MCB Bank, United Bank Limited, Bank Alfalah, Bank of Punjab and Meezan Bank.

Of the 143,368 pilgrims, 86,021 will perform Haj under the government quota – balloting will be held for 83,440 seats, while 2,581 seats have been allocated for hardship cases. (Policy for hardship cases will be announced later according to the directives of the prime minister).

Announcing the Haj policy on Saturday late night, Minister for Religious Affairs Sardar Mohammad Yousuf said that this year pilgrims would get some ‘extra’ facilities. They will be provided water coolers at Arafat and served with refreshment at their arrival at Jaddah and Madina airports. Arrangements will be made to provide latest model buses for travelling between Makkah and Madina and airlines will be approached to book luggage of Pakistani pilgrims at the time of their return from the two cities.

Like previous years, the government of Saudi Arabia has maintained a 20 per cent reduction in Pakistan’s Haj quota.

Under the new policy, the government has fixed Haj charges of Rs261,941 for the applicants from south Punjab and Balochistan and Rs270,941 for the rest of the country. The pilgrims will have to deposit Rs13,340 each for animal to be sacrificed during Haj and Rs500 for Khuddam-i-Hujjaj service.

The minister said the government had reduced air fares from Rs89,700 to Rs86,000, including taxes, for pilgrims from southern zone and from Rs98,700 to Rs95,000 for the rest of the country.

Pilgrims will fly to Saudi Arabia in PIA, Shaheen Airlines, Airblue and Saudi Airlines. They will be provided three-time meals during their stay in Makkah, Madina and Mina. “This year the menu has been improved,” the minister claimed.

He said his ministry was trying to provide lodging facilities to Pakistani pilgrims within 500 metres of Masjid-i-Nabvi in Madina. A 24-hour transport facility will be provided to the pilgrims. Buses will pick them from their hotels and, after their visits to holy mosques, drop them back to their places of stay.

After getting approval from the Saudi authorities, 50pc Pakistani pilgrims will be sent directly to Madina and they will return to the country the same way. Each pilgrim will be allowed to carry a five-litre bottle of Aab-i-Zamzam.

The minister said the government would soon start a drive to educate the intending pilgrims and devise a separate plan to meet any emergency situation during Haj.

Pilgrims have been advised to display stickers of Pakistani identify cards on their Ahrams (clothes). Women have been advised to carry two black colour Abayas (veil) with them.

Published in Dawn, April 18th, 2016