MEDINAH – Pakistan’s Hajj Director Abdul Wahab Soomro has emphasized the importance of obtaining authorized coupons for sacrificial animals in Saudi Arabia.
The official has asked the pilgrims that the coupons can be obtained from approved sources such as the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) and Saudi Post, urging Pakistani pilgrims to avoid obtaining them from unauthorized channels.
In an interview with state media, the official highlighted that acquiring these authorized coupons ensures their legitimacy and compliance with Saudi regulations for the ritual of performing the sacrifice.
Soomro explained that to facilitate the process, the Pakistani government, in collaboration with the Saudi bank, has made arrangements for the sacrificial ritual during Hajj.
“Pilgrims can obtain a token for the sacrificial offering by contributing 720 Saudi riyals,” he said, adding that mobile vans were available to conveniently distribute these coupons to pilgrims residing in different areas.
“The tokens will be provided near the accommodations of the pilgrims, either through booths or mobile vans,” he said.
“Upon receiving the token, pilgrims will be informed about their designated time for the sacrificial ritual,” Soomro added.
The Hajj Director said that after the sacrifice, pilgrims would proceed with the “Halq” which involves hair shaving or trimming and is an important ritual.
The official assured that all necessary facilities, including accommodation, food, and transportation, had been meticulously arranged in Makkah to ensure the convenience of the pilgrims.
For this year’s Hajj, Saudi Arabia allocated a quota of 179,210 pilgrims to Pakistan. It is to be highlighted that a 50 percent quota had been reserved for the Sponsorship Scheme which was 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 Muslims to avoid performing the ritual amid skyrocketing inflation.
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.
