'Up to 50,000 Pakistanis May Be Allowed to Perform Hajj This Year'
Islamabad: Minister for Religious Affair and Interfaith Harmony Noorul Haq Qadri has said that amid the current coronavirus pandemic Saudi Arabia might allow up to 50,000 Pakistanis to perform Hajj this year.
The minister informed that Hajj 2021 would take place under special circumstances with special procedures, rules and regulations, eligibility, criteria and age restrictions.
The intending pilgrims would be required to strictly follow Covid-19 Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) during Hajj, he added.
Qadri said only those people who have been vaccinated against Covid-19 would be allowed to perform Hajj and his ministry would comply with all conditions that would be laid out by the Saudi authorities.
He informed that pilgrims of less than 20 or over 50 years of age may not be permitted to perform Hajj this year. “Saudi Arabia may only allow people having sound health and without any serious medical condition.” However, the Saudi government has not yet given a green signal for going ahead with the Hajj arrangements as various Saudi departments, including the Hajj and Umrah Ministry, were still weighing different options to make Hajj safe and secure for the pilgrims.
Earlier this month, authorities in the Kingdom had announced that only vaccinated or immune worshippers were allowed to perform Umrah and regular prayers at the Grand Mosque in Makkah and the Prophet’s Mosque in Madina during the holy month of Ramadan. The Kingdom granted permits to only those pilgrims who have already got the two doses of the Covid-19 vaccine, or those who took the first dose 14 days before applying to obtain the permit and those who recovered from the infection already. – The Express Tribune
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