ISLAMABAD (Staff Report) – Balloting for Hajj applications under the Ministry of Religious Affairs scheme will be held at 4:00pm in Islamabad on Thursday (today) after the Supreme Court reversed the government’s move of decreasing the quota for private vs. government Hajj.
The balloting process, initially scheduled to be held in Islamabad on April 29, was postponed earlier in view of a writ petition filed by private Hajj organisers at the Supreme Court which challenged the decrease in quota for private Haj.
Deciding the petition, the Supreme Court restored the previously set quota of 50% for private Hajj.
According to Hajj Policy 2016, Sixty percent pilgrims were supposed to perform Hajj under the Government scheme while forty percent through Hajj Group Organizers.
However, after the SC order, now 50% pilgrims will travel to Saudi Arabia under government scheme. The remaining 50% pilgrims will travel to Saudi Arabia for Hajj through private travel firms.
Of the 2,80,617 applications that ministry has received under the government Hajj scheme this year, some 72,000 pilgrims will be selected through balloting. Candidates will be informed of their selection via messages on their designated phone number, while the list will also be available on the official website of the Ministry for Religious Affairs.
