FOR the first time in two years, the Saudi government is allowing foreign pilgrims to perform Haj this year. We understand that this year’s Haj will be more expensive than ever before due to the extreme volatility of the Pakistani rupee and in the oil market.

But what will be the actual cost of Haj? This is the question that needs to be answered immediately. Haj flights are going to start in a week or two, but the price of the government package has not yet been revealed. The private sector’s prices are correlated to the government’s package.

Time is flying, and those who want to perform Haj privately will even have much less time to decide and plan their itineraries.

All those who wish to go for Haj this year are sceptical about this man-made uncertainty related to pricing, which, as a result, predisposes people to think about whether they can afford it or not.

People are keeping track of newspapers, news channels, relevant government websites, and social media to look for any updates regarding the Haj package, but it looks like they are more into covering dirty politics, while people concerned are more interested in placing their pictures instead of doing what they are supposed to do.

I cannot even imagine what the Haj Committee is busy with. Is it that difficult to announce the cost of Haj?

In the absence of a stable Pakistani rupee, they can announce a Haj package with a variation, such as if the Pakistani rupee depreciates further, additional amount will be charged from each pilgrim in addition to the announced amount.

I hope the authorities will understand the value of time and announce the gover-nment’s Haj package price without any further delay. Time is really running out.

M. Shamail Anwar
Karachi

Published in Dawn, May 29th, 2022