Pakistan Completes Preparations for Mandatory Training Sessions for Hajj 2025 Pilgrims
Islamabad:The Ministry of Religious Affairs in Pakistan has completed preparations for mandatory training sessions for pilgrims participating in the official Hajj 2025 program. A statement issued on Friday announced that training workshops will be held at 147 locations across the country, with the first session set to begin in Peshawar on Saturday.
According to the Ministry’s spokesperson, the attendance of pilgrims will be tracked using QR codes through the “Pak Hajj” mobile app. The spokesperson also mentioned that overseas Pakistanis will be required to complete their training at designated Hajj camps before departing for Hajj. The first phase of this mandatory training is scheduled to be completed by February 27.
It is worth noting that on January 13, 2025, the Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony, Chaudhry Salik Hussain, and Saudi Arabia’s Minister for Hajj and Umrah, Dr. Tawfiq bin Fawzan Al-Rabiah, signed the annual Hajj agreement. Under this agreement, 179,210 Pakistani pilgrims will be allowed to perform Hajj this year.
Saudi Arabia has also launched a new version of the “Nusk” portal to enhance services for pilgrims during Hajj and Umrah.
### Mandatory Hajj Training
The Ministry has made it mandatory for all Hajj 2025 pilgrims to attend at least two training sessions. The first phase of the training will take place from January 18 to February 27. The second phase will begin after the month of Ramadan. Preparations have been completed in all the country’s tehsils for the training of Hajj pilgrims, which will include guidance on the proper use of Ihram, performing Hajj rituals, worship, administrative duties, and information on the obligatory and Sunnah acts of Hajj.
Additionally, multimedia and audiovisual aids will be used to provide training. Each day, pilgrims will receive approximately four hours of training. Overseas Pakistanis will also be required to attend training at designated Hajj camps before their departure.
### Training Locations and Schedule
The mandatory Hajj training schedule is available on the “Pak Hajj” mobile app. Training will be conducted at 28 locations in Islamabad, 20 in Karachi, 32 in Lahore, 25 in Quetta, 16 in Peshawar, 17 in Multan, and 2 in Gilgit-Baltistan. Pilgrims can also obtain guidance by contacting Hajj help lines or their respective Hajj camps.
The Ministry of Religious Affairs also announced that 84,620 applications have already been received for the limited slots available under the government’s Hajj scheme. Once the target number of applications is reached, the submission process will be closed.
To date, a total of 48.9 billion rupees have been collected from the pilgrims under the government Hajj scheme, with 81,500 pilgrims having paid the first installment of 200,000 rupees each. The second installment of 400,000 rupees per person has also been collected.
