ISLAMABAD: Saudi Arabia has approved an additional Hajj quota for Pakistani pilgrims on special request of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar.
With the additional approval, 10,000 more Pakistanis will be allowed to offer Hajj pilgrim.
The premier and FM Dar approached Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud to request an increase in the Hajj quota for those citizens who could not register prior to the set deadline.
Responding positively, Saudi authorities approved the expansion of Pakistan’s Hajj quota. After this step, a total of 189,210 Pakistani citizens will be able to offer Hajj this year.
Earlier, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif took notice of the reduction in the private Hajj quota for this year, which was 70,000 pilgrims, leaving thousands of Pakistanis unable to perform Hajj under the private scheme.
The PM directed an immediate inquiry into the matter and established a three-member committee tasked with identifying the responsible parties within three days.
The three-member committee, headed by federal secretary for Cabinet Division Kamran Afzal, comprises Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) Chairman Chaudhary Rashid Mahmood Langrial and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) Chief Secretary Abrar Ahmad Mirza and will present its report to the PM in three days.
