Islamabad (Web Desk): The government has decided to refund Hajj dues to all applicants of Hajj-2020 from July 2, the Radio Pakistan reported.
According the Spokesperson of the Ministry of Religious Affairs, the decision has been taken in light of the Saudi government’s decision to hold a limited Hajj this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
He said the amount will be refunded through scheduled banks across the country and all applicants are being informed via SMS.
The Spokesperson said that applicants should come in person to receive the amount in cash while the group leaders should come to the bank with all original documents of group members in case of receiving through cheque.
The applicants have been directed to contact Accounts Officer Refund on telephone No: 051-9208465 in case of any difficulty in refund process.
On June 23, Saudi Arabia announced that it will hold a "very limited" Hajj this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
"It was decided to hold the pilgrimage this year with very limited numbers ... with different nationalities in the kingdom," the official Saudi Press Agency said, citing the Hajj ministry.
More than two million people perform the annual pilgrimage in the holy city of Mecca every year, including many travelling from abroad.
The Hajj, a must for able-bodied Muslims at least once in their lifetime, represents a major potential source of contagion as it packs millions of pilgrims into congested religious sites.