Religious ministry announces details of Hajj expenditure

With a subsidy of Rs 150,000 for each pilgrim, the government scheme Haj package will cost Rs 700,000.

According to the details, the religious ministry published the details of the Hajj’s spending this year, saying that the Hajj will cost Rs860000 for Pakistanis, whereas the cost of the southern part of the country will be Rs850, 000.

Giving details on the spending for the pilgrimage, Maulana Abdul Shakoor said that accommodation in Mecca will cost Rs 112,000, while in Medina it will cost Rs38,000.

As part of the Haj policy, Rs45,000 (along with Qurbani), was set for individuals.

The Minister added that Rs 84,000 would be spent on transportation while food will cost Rs56,000.

According to the minister, Hajj spending in Saudi Arabia would be Rs300,000 whilst the visa fee would be Rs 16,000.

It is relevant to note here that the domestic carrier, Pakistan International Airline (PIA), will begin this year’s Hajj flight operations starting June 6.

The PIA spokesman said the first Hajj flight will leave Islamabad for Madina on 6 June. PIA has declared that flights from the Hajj to Saudi Arabia will fly to Jeddah and Medina.

“The national carrier will operate a total of 400 pre and post-Hajj flights between 31 May and 13 August,” Pakistan’s national carrier said in a statement.

Hajj operations will be performed from eight cities in Pakistan, including Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Faisalabad, Sialkot, Multan, Peshawar, and Quetta, the statement read.