ISLAMABAD: Minister of Religious Affairs Talha Mahmood has announced that from next year all Hajj expenses will be collected in US dollars.
Furthermore, while addressing the post-Hajj press conference, Mahmood congratulated 160,000 Pakistani pilgrims on their Hajj.
Appreciating the efforts of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, he also said that no untoward incident was reported in Jamrat during this year’s Hajj, where people pelted stones.
He said that most of the visitors seemed satisfied with the arrangements.
Additionally, during the presser, Mahmood said he had brought the Haj quota for next year to 179,000.
“However, the expenses of the pilgrims will be deposited in US dollars and not in Pakistani rupees,” he said.
The federal minister said that the Saudi government made the best arrangements on the occasion of Hajj and personally visited the hotels of Pakistani pilgrims.
He said that the Pakistani mission provided maximum assistance to Pakistanis during Hajj.
Senator Mehmood added that he was offered to perform Hajj as a state guest but he preferred to perform Hajj as a common man.
He discussed the problems of Haj pilgrims with the Saudi minister who assured him of solving the problems in future.
The religious minister said that he has not allowed anyone to perform Hajj without payment and will not allow it in the future.
He said that he paid the Hajj expenses as a minister, stayed with other Pakistani pilgrims and performed Hajj.
Answering a question, Mehmood said that he did not know how many people had performed Hajj with President Arif Alvi because the President’s Hajj had nothing to do with his ministry.
