ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has begun receiving online payments from intending pilgrims under the private Hajj scheme, the religious affairs ministry said on Sunday, in a move aimed at streamlining the pilgrimage process, improving transparency and making payments easier for overseas Pakistanis and local applicants.
The religious affairs ministry this year announced an easier, transparent and faster registration facility to intending Hajj pilgrims through its online Hajj portal and ‘Pak Hajj’ mobile app, which would also allow payment of dues.
Religious Affairs Minister Sardar Yousaf this week said that his ministry, in collaboration with the National Information Technology Board (NITB), had started the process of end-to-end digitization of the entire Hajj system to provide maximum convenience to the Hajj pilgrims.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the religious affairs ministry said it has started collection of dues under the private Hajj scheme, days after it began receiving online payments from intending pilgrims under the government scheme.
“Booking and payment for private Hajj will be accepted only through Pak Hajj app and Hajj Portal,” the ministry said. “Pilgrims already registered in the private Hajj Scheme should select the authorized company and package through Hajj portal.”
It advised intending pilgrims to avoid giving cheques or cash to any authorized company.
Pakistan has allocated 107,526 slots under the government scheme for Hajj 2027, while another 71,696 slots have been allocated to the private scheme, according to the religious affairs ministry. The government has reserved 30,000 places for the shorter package and will stop accepting payments for each scheme once its quota is filled.
On Saturday, Pakistani state media reported that 88,700 intending pilgrims have deposited the first installment of their Hajj dues under the government scheme. This month, the government announced that pilgrims would pay Rs1.2 million ($4,334) for a 40-day Hajj package and Rs1.3 million ($4,695) for a shorter 20- to 25-day package under the government scheme.
