ISLAMABAD – The idea of ‘Hajj through ferry’ has been under discussion for quite a long period of time but the decision-makers in Pakistan have finally come to the conclusion.
As Hajj prices skyrocket with each passing year, some think that the Ferry service might be an alternative for the pilgrims from Pakistan who land in the holy kingdom in large numbers.
The proposal also came under discussion before the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Maritime Affairs which has now announced its verdict.
The committee has declared the Maritime Affairs Ministry’s “Hajj through Sea” proposal “unfeasible” keeping in view the project’s ‘unaffordable financial cost and logistical challenges’.
The Hajj through Sea proposal envisioned that the pilgrims could travel to the holy land by sea while aboard a ferry passing through different countries in the region.
In the NA panel’s meeting on Thursday, the ministry shared the initial plan for the Hajj through Sea initiative before the committee to deliberate upon the feasibility of the project.
The committee met under the chairmanship of Mir Amer Ali Khan Magsi and was of the view that the project was unfeasible, considering the financial cost, the time for transportation, and cases from other countries.
Apart from the decision on the Hajj through sea proposal, the committee asked the ministry to check the feasibility for the introduction of a ferry service from Karachi to Chabahar.
It bears mentioning that over 150,000 pilgrims from Pakistan perform Hajj every year through air travel – except during the pandemic era when the number dropped considerably.
Air travel is convenient but is an expensive travel route on top of the fact that the pilgrims from Pakistan are already cash-strapped, prompting some to deliberate upon the proposal of a ferry service.
For this year’s Hajj, Saudi Arabia had allocated a quota of 179,210 pilgrims to Pakistan. It is to be highlighted that 50 percent quota had been reserved for the Sponsorship Scheme which is a special facility given to Hajj pilgrims seeking foreign exchange from abroad in the specific dollar account of the religious affairs ministry.
The government had announced that no balloting would take place for intending Hajj pilgrims this year as the number of applicants falls short of the quota made available to Pakistan.
For this year, the government had set Hajj expenses at Rs1.175 million per pilgrim, 68% more than the last year’s expenses which apparently became a reason for many of the Muslims to avoid performing the ritual amid skyrocketing inflation.
As far as the flight operation is concerned, the national flag carrier, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) had announced that its pre-Hajj operation would begin on May 21 and continue till August 12 during which it would take 38,000 pilgrims to the Holy land.
PIA has announced to charge fares in US dollars for the second year in a row and fixed the fares for pilgrims going to Saudi Arabia under the private Hajj scheme from $870 to $1180 for the Southern region that includes Karachi, Quetta, Sukkur, Hyderabad.
It is noteworthy that this is the first time Saudi Arabia would be welcoming pilgrims in large numbers i.e around 2.3m after the pandemic restrictions have been lifted. Around one million people joined the 2022 Hajj season and only those in the age bracket 18 to 65 who were fully vaccinated or immunized against the virus and did not suffer from chronic diseases were allowed to visit the kingdom.
