To pile more miseries on the poor people of the countries, the PML-N led coalition government is set to increase the cost of Hajj to an exorbitant level.
It is worth mentioning that poor and middle-class Pakistanis save money for years to be able to make the pilgrim to the Holy Cities and perform Hajj once in their lives.
Religious Affairs Minister Mufti Abdul Shakoor has suggested that the ministry will recommend the government set the cost of performing hajj this year as a whopping Rs 1.3 million (13 lacs).
This year, Saudi Arabia has allowed Pakistan to send more hajj pilgrims, restoring pre-pandemic quota of some 179,000 pilgrims.
Mufti Abdul Shakoor said there are reports that Riyadh intends to increase tax on Hajj from 18% previously to 20%.
According to the secretary of the Religious Affairs Ministry, their plea to the Finance Ministry to set aside about $2 billion to make preparations for the impending pilgrimage was turned down.
It appears that the finance ministry has cited a lack of resources as the cause of their inability to give the ministry the necessary monies.
It is important to know that Pakistan, like other nations, requires prior payment for travel and lodging arrangements even though it does not charge locals for these services. Furthermore, even if it receives the required amount from pilgrims, the majority of it will be in Pakistani rupees, and to send the money gathered locally to Saudi Arabia, they will need dollars from the national treasury.
