Govt's Haj sponsorship scheme gets lukewarm response

As the December 22 deadline for Haj applications approaches, the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony is seeking assistance to encourage greater participation from the Pakistani diaspora.

Only 2,800 applications have been received for the sponsorship scheme out of the allocated 25,000 seats, which can be secured by those paying in dollars without the need for balloting.

With a low response to the sponsorship scheme and 58,000 applications under the regular scheme, the Ministry of Religious Affairs has reached out to the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis to inform expatriates about the Haj application process.

The Ministry is also seeking support from the Ministry of Information. The government extended the Haj application deadline by 10 days, and submissions can be made with a passport valid until December 16, 2024.

Approximately 89,605 Pakistanis are expected to perform Haj under the government scheme at a cost of Rs1,075,000, Rs100,000 less than the previous year.

The government introduced both long and short-term packages and, notably, women can undertake the journey without the traditional requirement of a male companion.

Additionally, Pakistani pilgrims will receive free-of-cost mobile SIMs with roaming internet packages. Pakistan has secured 179,000 Haj seats, with half reserved for private Haj operators.