Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif approved the Haj Policy 2017 in a cabinet meeting in Islamabad, government officials announced Wednesday.

The prime minister is said to have directed the provision of the maximum amount of facilities to pilgrims and ordered the ministry to make the best possible arrangements for Pakistani pilgrims this year, the information minister said in a press conference.

Haj expenses will also be reworked and presented again in the next cabinet meeting as a proposal to increase the cost of Haj packages has been rejected by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, the information minister said.

According to a copy of the Haj Package 2017, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, Pakistan's Haj quota — which was reduced to 143,368 in 2013 — has been restored to 179,210, while the Saudi Haj Ministry has additionally been requested to enhance Pakistan's quota by at least 15,000 on the basis of the current population of the country.

The process of issuing tenders for the accommodation, transport, catering and other allied facilities for Haj pilgrims has been initiated.

According to the document, the following services will be provided to Pakistani pilgrims for this year:

  • Express clearance services at Jeddah and Madina airports.

  • Modern buses to transport pilgrims from the airport to their residences.

  • Provision of 100 per cent accommodation in markazia in Madina will be ensured.

  • Provision of cooked meals three times a day in Mashair (Mina, Arafat and Muzdalifah).

  • Provision of filtered water and effective cooling systems in each maktab in Mina.

  • Provision of fireproof tents at Arafat.

  • Separate washrooms for the disabled in Mina, Muzdalifah and Arafat.

The Haj quota of 179,210 pilgrims is expected to be divided in a 60/40 ratio between the government and private Haj operators, and in case Pakistan's request for an increase in quota is approved by Saudi Arabia, it will also be divided between government and private Haj schemes.

The quota for private operators will be allocated to existing quota holders to ensure smooth Haj operations.

Additional proposals for the Haj quota include:

  • Applicants who have performed Haj during the last seven years will not be eligible to apply for Haj 2017 under the government scheme. Similarly, for private Haj schemes, the limit may be restricted to the last five years.

  • Hajj-e-Badal will be allowed through private Haj operators only.

  • The Hajj Policy Formulation Committee of the Supreme Court have recommended the abolishment of the 'hardship quota' in the Haj scheme.

  • The airfare of Rs95,000 (North) and Rs86,000 (South) from 2016 will be maintained for Haj 2017.

Opinion

Editorial

Energy inflation
Updated 23 May, 2024

Energy inflation

The widening gap between the haves and have-nots is already tearing apart Pakistan’s social fabric.
Culture of violence
23 May, 2024

Culture of violence

WHILE political differences are part of the democratic process, there can be no justification for such disagreements...
Flooding threats
23 May, 2024

Flooding threats

WITH temperatures in GB and KP forecasted to be four to six degrees higher than normal this week, the threat of...
Bulldozed bill
Updated 22 May, 2024

Bulldozed bill

Where once the party was championing the people and their voices, it is now devising new means to silence them.
Out of the abyss
22 May, 2024

Out of the abyss

ENFORCED disappearances remain a persistent blight on fundamental human rights in the country. Recent exchanges...
Holding Israel accountable
22 May, 2024

Holding Israel accountable

ALTHOUGH the International Criminal Court’s prosecutor wants arrest warrants to be issued for Israel’s prime...