{"id":3624,"date":"2014-05-12T06:12:47","date_gmt":"2014-05-12T06:12:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost\/wp3\/?p=3624"},"modified":"2014-05-12T06:12:47","modified_gmt":"2014-05-12T06:12:47","slug":"pakistan-govt-to-bear-hajj-food-costs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sunnionline.us\/english\/2014\/05\/12\/3624\/","title":{"rendered":"Pakistan Gov\u2019t to Bear Hajj Food Costs"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"images\/stories\/news3\/pakistanGovt-to-Bear-Hajj-Food-Costs.jpg\" border=\"0\" style=\"float: right; margin: 5px;\" \/>Pakistan government has a good news for over 143,000 intended pilgrims who are reeling from an additional financial burden imposed by the Saudi government against mandatory food buying from a Saudi company during Hajj.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>  <!--more-->  <\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cNo matter, the Saudi government withdraws this condition or not, but I am pleased to announce that Pakistan government will bear the additional cost to be incurred by the (intended) Hajjis,\u201d federal Minister for Religious and Hajj affairs, Sardar Mohammad Yousaf told OnIslam.net.<\/span><br \/><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Dilemma of Pakistan pilgrims started after the Saudi authorities imposed new conditions forcing would-be pilgrims to pay 400 riyals in advance.<\/span><br \/><span style=\"color: #000000;\">In return, they will get food from the respective Saudi food companies during their combined six-day stay in Mina, Arafat, and Muzdilfa.<\/span><br \/><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The recently imposed condition had made things difficult for thousands of intended pilgrims who complained form the additional cost. However, the Hajj minister\u2019s announcement has sent a wave of relief to them<\/span><br \/><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cThe ministry is still in contact with Saudi Hajj authorities to lift this bar, but there are fifty-fifty chances. Our request may be entertained or may not be,\u201d Sardar Yousaf said.<\/span><br \/><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cWe fully understand the concern of Hajjis as a large number of them , cannot afford this additional cost.<\/span><br \/><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cThat\u2019s why, the government has taken this decision to remove the simmering uncertainty, and to facilitate the Hajjis,\u201d the minister added.<\/span><br \/><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cIf the Saudi government withdraws this condition, then well and good, and if not, then the Hajjis will not have to bear any additional burden at all,\u201d he said.<\/span><br \/><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cWe know it will cost us massively,\u201d Sardar Yousaf said, adding, \u201cBut, this is nothing in front of the prayers of thousands of Hajjis for us.\u201d<\/span><br \/><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Pakistan is the second most populous Muslim state with 180 million people, of which, according to the World Bank, 34 per cent are living below poverty line. However, the government statistics show this figure between 18 and 20 per cent.<\/span><br \/><span style=\"color: #000000;\">This year, some 143,000 Pakistanis will go to perform Hajj as compared to over 180,000 last year due to a 20 per cent decrease in Hajj quota for Pakistanis in the wake of ongoing extension at the holy sites in Makkah.<\/span><br \/><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Out of 143,000, around 56,884 will go under government Hajj scheme, while remaining will be facilitated through private Hajj schecme.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Happy Pilgrims<\/strong><\/span><br \/><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The Hajj ministry\u2019s announcement has made thousands of intended Hajjis happy and relaxed, giving them new hope of meeting the financial costs of the life-time journey.<\/span><br \/><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cI am feeling very relaxed,\u201d Khan Mohammad Khan, an employee of the provincial government of southern Sindh province told OnIslam.net.<\/span><br \/><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cI had been totally confused what to do, and how to arrange additional 3500 riyals to cope with this condition,\u201d Khan who has applied for Hajj along with his wife, two daughters, and a son, said.<\/span><br \/><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cBut thanks to Allah, the government has listened to our appeals, and removed this heavy burden from our shoulders,\u201d Khan added.<\/span><br \/><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Tahir Ikram, who runs a small utility store in garrison city of Rawalpindi, was also jubilant about the new promises by the Pakistani officials.<\/span><br \/><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cI had requested some of my family members and friends for loan to bear with these expenses,\u201d Ikram who is all set to fly to the Holy Land along with his wife, and a daughter, told OnIslam.net.<\/span><br \/><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cBut, now I am relaxed as I do not have to borrow any loan. I will Insha Allah be going to see the home of Allah without burden of any loan,\u201d a soft-spoken Ikram who had decided to go for Hajj this year no matter, the Saudi government withdraws this condition or not.<\/span><br \/><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cI do not know I will be alive next year or not. I do understand that borrowing loan for hajj is not a good and preferable idea but life is unpredictable. Therefore, I, in consultation with my wife, had decided to go for Hajj this year even if we had to buy some loan,\u201d he added.<\/span><br \/><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Ikram dubs the government\u2019s decision as a result of his prayers and good intention.<\/span><br \/><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cI know that many would have prayed for that (solution of the issue) but I feel this is the outcome of my intention under which I had to decide to go for Hajj despite a burden of loan. It means, the Almighty Allah wants me to come to his Home this year,\u201d an apparently jubilant Ikram-in his mid 60s- said.<\/span><br \/><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Muslims from around the world pour to Makkah every year to perform hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam.<\/span><br \/><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Hajj consists of several ceremonies, which are meant to symbolize the essential concepts of the Islamic faith, and to commemorate the trials of Prophet Abraham and his family.<\/span><br \/><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Every able-bodied adult Muslim who can financially afford the trip must perform hajj at least once in a lifetime.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Source:<\/span> <em><strong>OnIslam<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Pakistan government has a good news for over 143,000 intended pilgrims who are reeling from an additional financial burden imposed by the Saudi government against mandatory food buying from a Saudi company during Hajj.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3624","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - 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