Govt decides to return Rs 12 billion
ISLAMABAD: The federal government decides to return Rs 12 billion to pilgrims who performed Hajj this year.
Religious Affairs Minister Senator Muhammad Talha Mehmood announced the decision. He said the Religious Affairs Ministry would refund a total of Rs12 billion to tens of thousands of Pakistani pilgrims.
The Ministry will return this amount to pilgrims who performed Hajj under the government-sponsored Hajj scheme.
More than 160,000 Pakistanis performed Hajj this year. The government has decided to return Rs 12 billion to Hajj pilgrims who could not get pre-paid facilities.
The minister stated this in a press conference in Saudi Arabia on Thursday. He also highlighted the effective cost-saving measures that allowed for the partial refund of the Hajj expenses. Hajj pilgrims will receive refunds in their bank accounts in the upcoming week.
The government’s Hajj operation is going to conclude in a week. The last Hajj flight is arriving on Wednesday. This year, more than 160,000 Pakistanis performed Hajj.
Federal Minister mentioned that each pilgrim would receive a refund of Rs97,000. Additionally, 22,600 pilgrims who couldn’t secure accommodation in Mina or utilize the trains facility, would get an extra amount of Rs21,000 per person.
Furthermore, 18,000 pilgrims residing outside Markazia in Madina would receive an additional amount of Rs14,000 per person.
Those who faced difficulties in securing accommodations in Madina would get back Rs111,000. Also, those who did not the Mashair Train would get back Rs118,000. Similarly, pilgrims who had to stay far from the central locations in Madina would receive Rs132,000 as compensation.
The minister explained that the reason for relocating residential buildings away from Markazia was the demolition of several buildings by the Saudi government, including the two buildings of the Pakistan House.
Despite the increase in the value of the dollar against the rupee leading to higher Hajj expenditure, the minister assured that the government was committed to making next year’s Hajj cost-effective and ensuring that pilgrims faced no hardships.
He emphasized the government’s efforts to make Hajj affordable, stating that approximately Rs16.5 billion had been allocated for reimbursements to the pilgrims under the government’s Hajj package.
