The government has decided to give cut of Hajj quota of its citizens to Pakistanis living abroad aimed at saving the outflow of around $400 million, a move that alleviates the impact of the economic crisis on all walks of life.
Overseas Pakistanis can themselves perform Hajj or finance the expenses of someone living in Pakistan by availing of the quota, which the government is going to offer due to foreign currency shortage, according to government sources.
The decision was taken in a meeting between Finance Minister Ishaq Dar and Minister for Religious Affairs Mufti Abdul Shakoor. The matter will now be placed before the federal cabinet for approval, including the cost of Hajj, which may this year range from Rs1.2 million to Rs1.3 million per person, according to officials who attended the meeting.
It was estimated that around $400 million could be saved by offering half of the quota to the non-resident Pakistanis
The government has long been denying the severity of the economic crisis but at the same time it is curbing the outflow of dollars like giving up half of the Hajj quota, restricting imports and the outflow of dividends.
This has created a huge backlog that will take months to clear even if inflows of foreign currency begin after the revival of International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan programme.
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