Minister of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Mufti Abdul Shakoor said that Hajj applications can be submitted from March 16 to March 31, 2023.

While announcing Hajj Policy 2023 in a press conference, he stated that applications can be submitted in 14 designated banks of the country.

The religious minister said, “In the regular Hajj scheme, those who have performed Hajj in the last 5 years will not be allowed to apply, adding that, the age limit for Hajj has been abolished from this year.

He further said 50 per cent quota of public and private Hajj schemes, i.e., 44,802 seats in each scheme were reserved for the Sponsorship Hajj Scheme.

Expenses still lower than neighbouring countries’
The Minister for Religious Affairs said that Saudi Arabia reduced some Hajj expenses at the request of the Pakistani government, adding that the expenses of the Hajj policy are less than India, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.

The minister lauded the government for resolving currency exchange issues for Hajj.

Talking about the inflation in Saudi Arabia, Abdul Shakoor said that the price of essential goods and commodities also increased in Saudia Arabia due to the hike in taxes.