ISLAMABAD, DEC 12 (DNA) — Caretaker Minister for Religious Affairs Aneeq Ahmad said on Tuesday that the deadline set for the submission of applications for the Hajj, 2024 under the government scheme had been extended by 10 days.

He said that due to the country’s present financial situation, not many people had applied for Hajj this year. On November 27, the Ministry of Religious Affairs had said that the submission of applications by those intending to perform pilgrimage in 2024 would start today, and would continue until December 12.

Religious Affairs minister, who had announced the Hajj Policy for 2024 at the beginning of November, had said that this time around 89,605 Pakistanis will perform pilgrimage under the government scheme. He had further said that the cost of the Hajj package under the government scheme had been reduced by Rs100,000 ($347.92).

Saudi Arabia had restored Pakistan’s pre-coronavirus ratio of 179,210 pilgrims and also lifted the upper age limit of 65 years. More than 81,000 pilgrims from Pakistan had performed Hajj under the government scheme in 2023 while the rest used private tour operators. — DNA