ISLAMABAD: The government has announced that Hajj charges for the year 2018 will be the same as they were in 2017, according to a report by a private media outlet. Announcing the Haj Policy 2018 on Wednesday, Minister for Religious Affairs Sardar Muhammad Yousuf said there would be a special quota for the elderly to facilitate senior citizens. He said that 179,210 Pakistanis would perform Haj next year and a special quota of 10,000 had been allocated for applicants above the age of 80 years. Under the new Haj policy, 60 per cent applicants or 179,210 intending pilgrims would perform Haj under the government scheme and the rest would perform the religious duty through private Haj operators. The government has decided to maintain the ‘hardship quota’ at two per cent of the total intending pilgrims under the government Haj scheme.

Source: Pakistan Today December 28, 2017 04:41 UTC