ISLAMABAD: Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Sardar Muhammad Yousaf on Monday formally launched the registration process for next year’s Haj. Addressing a news conference in Islamabad, the Minister said the Government, with the support of the National Information Technology Board, had completely digitised the Haj system to ensure transparency, convenience and speedy services.
Sardar Yousaf said registration for next year’s Haj would be completely free and no fee would be charged. He said registration would be on a “first come, first served” basis and had been made mandatory for both government and private Haj schemes. He said no application would be accepted for Haj 2027 without prior registration. He clarified that those wishing to perform Haj must have a valid passport with a validity of at least until November 26, 2027. However, he said registration for next year’s Haj could be completed without a passport. He said members of the same family would be able to register jointly, while overseas Pakistanis would also be able to register from any country.
Sardar Yousaf stressed that registration could also be completed from home through the online portal or the mobile application, “Pak Haj”. Replying to a question, he said negotiations were under way with the Saudi Government for an increase in Pakistan’s Haj quota. “In view of the increase in the country’s population, the quota of pilgrims for Pakistan should be increased from 119,000 to 230,000,” he said.
Answering another question, the Minister said this year’s Haj had proved to be the most successful Haj in the country’s history and that Pakistani pilgrims were extremely satisfied with the arrangements.
He said the instructions of Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif had been fully implemented, while the Saudi Government and the Saudi Ambassador to Pakistan had also extended full cooperation in improving Haj arrangements.
