Islamabad, The Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony has announced that the draw for the Regular Hajj Scheme is set to take place next Thursday. This decision comes as the deadline for Hajj applications under the regular scheme closes today, with over 66,000 applications already received.

According to Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, the Spokesperson for the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony, the deadline for the Hajj applications was set to expire by the end of the banking hours today. The significant number of applications received reflects the high interest among the public for the annual Islamic pilgrimage.

Furthermore, Butt revealed that the deadline for the sponsorship scheme has been extended until the 31st of this month, following requests from overseas Pakistanis. This extension allows intending pilgrims to deposit their payments in dollars from abroad until the end of the current month.

In a related development, Saudi Aviation has set a deadline of January 2nd next year for airlines to submit their Hajj flight schedules. This directive is part of the logistical preparations for the Hajj, which sees millions of Muslims from around the world converge on the holy cities of Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia.

The upcoming draw for the Regular Hajj Scheme marks an important step in the annual pilgrimage’s organizational process, ensuring a fair and systematic selection of pilgrims under the regular scheme.