Ministry of Religious Affairs to Accept More Hajj Applications After Shortfall in Government Quota

Islamabad:The Ministry of Religious Affairs had declared all applicants successful under the government’s Hajj scheme last month after an unusual shortfall in the number of applications received. Despite three extensions in the deadline for submitting Hajj applications, the government received 5,000 fewer applications than expected under the official quota.

According to media reports, despite the repeated extensions, the number of applications for the government quota fell short, prompting the Ministry to announce that it would soon issue a new schedule to accept additional applications.

At a meeting of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Religious Affairs, chaired by MNA Amir Dogar, Federal Minister for Religious Affairs, Chaudhry Salik Hussain, announced that the Ministry would be requesting more applications to fill the 5,000 shortfall in the government Hajj quota.

**Key Developments in the Hajj Process:**
– **Further Applications to Be Accepted:** The Ministry of Religious Affairs is now planning to reopen the application process to fill the 5,000 vacant spots. A schedule for accepting these additional applications will be issued soon.

– **Efforts to Reduce Hajj Expenses:** During the meeting, officials from the Ministry informed that they were working to lower the Hajj expenses this year, with the aim of bringing the cost under 11 lakh rupees.

– **Deadlock Between Private Operators and the Ministry:** On another front, a deadlock remains between private Hajj operators and the Ministry of Religious Affairs regarding the number of companies allowed to operate. As per Saudi Arabia’s directive and the federal cabinet’s decision, 163 companies were merged into 46, but private operators are not willing to accept this decision.

– **Committee Formed to Resolve Dispute:** To resolve this issue, a sub-committee was formed under the leadership of MNA Amir Dogar. Committee convener, Syed Imran Shah, expressed hope that the sub-committee’s meeting on Tuesday would end the deadlock.

**Past Developments:**
Last month, the Ministry of Religious Affairs declared all 28,000 applicants successful under the government’s Hajj scheme. However, due to the shortfall in the government quota, the Ministry is now considering either allocating the vacant 5,000 spots to private operators or extending the deadline for applications further.

This announcement comes as the Ministry seeks to ensure that all available spots are filled, either by extending the application window or reallocating quotas to the private sector, to meet the full government quota.