The government of Pakistan has decided to extend the deadline for submission of Hajj applications under the government sponsorship scheme by a week after facing a ‘slow response’ on Thursday.
The government has allocated 25,000 seats in the ‘Sponsorship Scheme Hajj’, introduced by the government this year, allowing overseas Pakistanis to apply for Hajj or sponsor someone in Pakistan for the journey by paying in US dollars. In return, applicants would not have to participate in the balloting process.
A news channel said that only 3,161 applications have been received so far under the government sponsorship scheme against a quota of 25,000.
Furthermore, sources claimed the ministry has received more than 63,000 applications so far under the government regular scheme.
Previously, the government extended the Hajj application deadline by 10 days from December 12 to 22.
