Hajj 2023: Saudi Arabia restores Pakistan’s old Hajj quota

Saudi Arabia restored Pakistan’s old Hajj quota and also removed the upper age limit of 65 years.

• The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia announced the return of Hajj 2023 at Full Capacity.
• There will be no restrictions or conditions as well as no upper age limit or Covid-19 checks.
• During the opening of Ḥajj Expo 2023, the Minister of Ḥajj and ʿUmrah, Dr. Tawfiq Al-Rabiah announced: “Number of Hajj pilgrims in 1444H will return to how it was before the Coronavirus pandemic without age restrictions.”

According to the Ministry of Religious Affairs, the Minister of Religious Affairs Mufti Abdul Shakoor arrived in Jeddah to participate in the 4-day International Hajj Conference at the invitation of Saudi Arabia, where he met with many important figures including the Saudi counterpart, Dr. Tawfiq bin Al-Rabiyyah, and visited institutions.

The ministry says that the draft of the annual Hajj agreement has been received by the Saudi authorities from the Minister of Religious Affairs under which Pakistan’s old quota of 179,210 pilgrims has been restored and the upper limit of 65 years has also been restored. has been terminated.

According to the ministry, this year Hajj applications are likely to be called by the end of February, while after the approval of the cabinet, the Federal Minister for Religious Affairs will announce the final Hajj Policy 2023.

On the other hand, the delegations of 19 countries including Pakistan, India, and Iran signed Hajj agreements.

According to the Saudi Minister of Hajj and Umrah Tawfiq al-Rabi’ah, the signatories to the Hajj Agreement include Turkey, Sudan, Yemen, Uzbekistan, Malaysia, and Bahrain.

He said that the number of pilgrims, arrival, departure, and services offered are mentioned in the agreement.

Apart from this, a delegation including ministers from 12 countries met the Saudi Minister of Hajj and Umrah, Tawfiq al-Rabiyyah, who was informed about the new facilities offered to Hajj pilgrims.