Quota of Pak pilgrims fixed at 143,000

Pakistan's Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Sardar Mohammed Yousaf has stressed that there would be no decrease in the Pakistan government’s Haj scheme quota, as 86,000 pilgrims are set to perform Haj under the government’s scheme, similar to last year’s figure. However, only 57,000 more pilgrims will perform Haj with private tour operators (PTO) this year.
The minister said this while briefing journalists about his visit to the Kingdom at a press conference at the Pakistani Consul General’s residence on Saturday night.
The minister had a number of meetings with the Haj Minister Bandar Hajjar, Madinah Gov. Prince Faisal bin Salman, Secretary-General of the International Islamic Relief Organization Sheikh Ehsan bin Saleh Tayyab and Sheikh Abdulrahman Al-Sudais, head of the Presidency of the Two Holy Mosques.
“This year only 143,000 Pakistani pilgrims will perform Haj. The government scheme already received applicants for Haj and made an agreement with PTO to divide the Haj quota 60 percent to 40 percent. PTO will receive a larger quota next year,” he said. The Pakistani government appreciates the Saudi government’s approach and understands the need to reduce Haj quotas for all countries due to the expansion work, he added.
In Pakistan, almost 730 private tour operators are involved in Umrah and Haj bookings.
Yousaf told journalists that the main aim of his visit to the Kingdom was to check on all the arrangements for the upcoming Haj season and to discuss the overall preparations that have been undertaken by the Pakistani government, focusing on the expenditures incurred by the government in safeguarding transport and other related arrangements for pilgrims.
“I visited the Haj sites and facilities prepared by the Haj Committee for our pilgrims and inspected the transport arrangements. I have also requested Hajjar to allow Pakistani pilgrims to travel by train to the holy sites,” he said.
He emphasized that there would be no increase in transport fees, adding that the Haj committee rented out 120 buildings for the accommodation of pilgrims. The accommodation facilities have been divided into categories depending on their distance from the Grand Mosque. The blue category will house 2,500 pilgrims and is 900 meters from the Haram, while the green and white categories will lodge 6,000 and 78,000 pilgrims respectively, at distances farther from the mosque.
“We are planning to arrange special bus shuttle services and transport for pilgrims to facilitate Haj. In addition, we will dispatch officials to ensure no violations are committed. We hope this Haj season will be smooth for Pakistani pilgrims. There will be complaint boxes to which letters can be dropped by pilgrims for redress,” he concluded.