Pilgrims | Pakistan

• Registration, waiting list system introduced; slot can be reserved with 10pc deposit • Govt to lock in long-term contracts to cut costs; multiple Haj packages planned to suit different budgets; bookings, payments and complaints to go fully digital • Private firms set to face tighter oversight ISLAMABAD: Pilgrims will be able to choose the Haj year of their choice under Pakistan’s first four-year Haj Policy for 2027-2030, Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Sardar Muhammad Yousuf announced on Wednesday, as he introduced a new registration and waiting list system. This is not only a policy but the beginning of fundamental and lasting reforms in Haj arrangements, the minister said while addressing a press conference in Islamabad. The policy aims to ensure transparent and digital governance, accountability, merit and improved logistical facilities for pilgrims, the minister added. Under the four-year registration and waiting list system, pilgrims can deposit an estimated 10 per cent of total Haj expenses to ...

Pilgrims on Friday were performing the last major ritual of the Haj — the stoning of the Jamarat, also known as the “stoning of the devil”, which symbolises the rejection of evil, as Muslims around the globe celebrated the beginning of Eidul Azha. Pakistan will celebrate Eidul Azha tomorrow (Saturday). Starting before daybreak, the more than 1.6 million pilgrims taking part in the Haj threw seven stones at each of three concrete walls symbolising the devil in the Mina valley, on the outskirts of the holy city of Makkah. Droves of pilgrims had already set out from their camps and accommodations in the sprawling tent city in Mina before dawn, taking advantage of the shade and cool temperature. The ritual commemorates Prophet Ibrahim’s stoning of the Jamarat at the three spots where Satan tried to dissuade him from obeying God’s order to sacrifice his son. “Our experience in Mina was easy and simple. We entered and within five minutes we had completed the stoning of the devil at the ‘Jamarat’,” said 34-year-old ...