Pakistani Hajj Pilgrims
Pakistan: Hajj pilgrims face financial issues as govt fails to disburse promised subsidies
Islamabad: Amid dire economic condition, the incompetency of the Pakistani government is now reflecting in the hefty Hajj packages where the country’s newly formed coalition government has failed to provide subsidies to the Hajj pilgrims, media reports said.
The Hajj pilgrims are facing financial troubles due to the lack of subsidies.
According to Pakistan’s ARY News, the coalition government of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) parties failed to provide subsidies to the Hajj pilgrims.
The Pakistani pilgrims faced financial issues in Saudi Arabia as they did not get a Hajj subsidy.
Local media reported that not even a part of the subsidy has been received by the Hajj pilgrims so far.
Earlier, the country’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had approved a total of PKR 150,000 subsidy to the Hajj pilgrims.
Out of this amount, the total Hajj expenditures were worth PKR 900,000 and the government was bound to return Rs 150,000 each to 32,000 Hajj pilgrims registered under the government scheme.
Though the coalition government had announced the provision of Hajj subsidy worth PKR 4.8 billion it has yet not been disbursed.
It will be a matter of financial respite if the pilgrims get relief from the timely disbursement of their subsidy during Hajj, reported ARY.
Local media outlets reported citing government sources that the subsidy amount will be transferred to the bank accounts of pilgrims after they return to the country after completing Hajj.
Earlier, Pakistan's federal Minister for Religious Affairs Mufti Abdul Shakoor announced that the cost of the government’s Hajj package will be between PKR 650,000 and PKR 710,000.
Shakoor said the mandatory expenditures on the part of the governments of Saudi Arabia and Pakistan were 52 percent of the total cost, while airfare was 21 percent and other expenses 27 percent.
The Minister also went on to slam the government led by former Prime Minister Imran Khan saying,
“If the previous government would have been allowed to continue and not been overthrown the total expenditures would have gone up to Rs 1.1 million,” the minister said, slamming the ousted PTI government led by former Prime Minister Imran Khan.
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