LAHORE, May 17: Haj pilgrims will have to pay a bit more this time, but they will be provided with better facilities than were available to them previously, Haj and Religious Affairs Minister Ejazul Haq told Dawn on Tuesday. It will take the relevant authorities some time before calculating the extra cost for the facilities as the minister has just returned after holding talks with the relevant Saudi authorities.

The minister said this time the PIA would be allowed to fly some 45,000 Haj pilgrims directly to Madina who, on completing their rituals, would return home via Jeddah. The remaining 50 per cent or so pilgrims would begin their holy journey from Jeddah, as is the routine practice. These people would take return flights from Madina.

The new arrangement would save the pilgrims a Madina-Jeddah trip which they had to undertake at the end of the Haj to emplane for Pakistan. In financial terms, it would mean a saving of about 100 Riyals per person. But the pilgrims would have to pay more for their stay in Makkah and Mina.

In Makkah, every pilgrim would now get 3.5 x 3.5 metre space to stay, compared to 3 x 3 metre in the past. To provide additional space, the government would have to rent more buildings, and thus the pilgrims would have to pay more, he said. Two committees had already been set up to look for suitable buildings for pilgrims.

In Mina, handling charges were being raised from 50 Riyals to something between 65 and 90 Riyals per person.

Ejazaul Haq said efforts were being made to get accommodation for as many Pakistani pilgrims within the precincts of Mina as possible.

Stay at Mina is compulsory, and since not all pilgrims can be accommodated there, the rest have to set up their tents outside. Though religious scholars say the stay beyond Mina on account of lack of space is valid, every pilgrim tries to stay within the boundaries of Mina. Last time, 55,000 Pakistani pilgrims had stayed within the limits of Mina and some 40,000 outside.

Making a departure from the previous practice, the pilgrims would be asked to make their own food arrangements during their stay at Mina.

He said effective measures were also being taken to ensure that no Umra pilgrim went missing on performing the ritual.

In Ramazan and the preceding month, all Umra pilgrims would be issued “boarding cards” for flights to and from Saudi Arabia. The procedure, he said, would make it difficult for anyone to disappear in the kingdom.

The minister said those wanting to change the date for their return would have to follow a tough procedure.—Ashraf Mumtaz