ISLAMABAD – In a bid to make Hajj cheaper for Pakistani citizens, the government has introduced a new initiative that will allow pilgrims to pay for the cost of pilgrimage through a flexible installment plan. A proposal submitted to the federal cabinet outlines a three-part payment option to ease the financial burden on those planning for the 2025 Hajj.
Under this proposal, application fee would be paid by pilgrims in the form of Rs2 lakh. And after being selected in lottery, they would pay another Rs4 lakh. Balance would be collected before embarkation. The total estimate cost of Hajj would remain around 11 lakh rupees. The officials from the Ministry of Religious Affairs stated that the installment structure is for those citizens who cannot pay the full amount at one time.
The Hajj policy will now fix the quota number at 179,000 pilgrims, which share the government-sponsored pilgrim and private tour operators fairly. There are also planned special considerations for hardship cases and low-income applicants for everyone to have equal chance of accessing this important journey.
New rules and regulations framed under the policy do not allow anyone below the age of 12 years, and severe medical conditions of pilgrims must bring a medical certificate. Regarding this, the government has an expectation that installment-based payments will make Hajj accessible to all Pakistanis in such a manner that no person will be stopped from observing this obligatory religious duty due to financial constraints.
