Hajj 2024 Expenses Can Be Reduced By 50%, Religious Affairs Minister

Web Desk — Pakistan’s Religious Affairs Minister Senator Talha Mahmood has made a surprising statement that the next year’s Hajj expenses can be significantly reduced by up to 50% due to timely measures by the government.

Addressing an event organized in Islamabad, the minister gave credit to the Saudi government’s exemplary arrangements for the success of this year’s Hajj.

The minister assured to return the surplus funds from pilgrims’ expenses. He announced the provision of free medicines worth millions of rupees through pharmaceutical cooperation and categorically denied having given free Hajj permission to anyone this time.

It is worth mentioning here that the cost of Hajj this year for the North region was Rs1.175 million per pilgrim while for the South region, it was Rs1.165 million. As compared to 2022, there has been a 68 percent rise in the cost – an increase of Rs 4,75,000 per pilgrim.

As said by the minister, if the cost for next year’s Hajj is slashed by 50 percent, the cash-strapped Pakistanis would be able to perform Hajj. However, as the country is preparing for the general elections, it is still not clear who would be the next religious affairs minister and how this 50 percent reduction in cost would be done.