Federal Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Chaudhry Salik Hussain and Saudi Minister of Haj and Umrah Dr Tawfiq Bin Fawzan Al-Rabiah on Monday signed the annual Haj agreement between the two countries, which would see 179,210 Pakistani pilgrims perform Haj this year.

Haj, one of the fundamental pillars of Islam, is performed each year by millions of Muslims worldwide. Pakistan receives one of the highest Haj quotas from Saudi Arabia.

Under the current Haj quota, some 89,602 people will be performing the pilgrimage under the government scheme, while the rest will perform it through private tour operators, according to the religious affairs ministry.

According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Religious Affairs today, the agreement included a “commitment to provide the best possible facilities for the pilgrims, who will be offered special accommodation in Mina at reduced rates”.

The Saudi minister assured his Pakistani counterpart of all possible support for better facilities for the pilgrims, the statement said.

“To make the Haj journey more accessible, easier, and comfortable, a short Haj programme of 20 to 25 days has been introduced,” the statement said, adding that pilgrims would have the option to choose their accommodation in Madina for four to eight days.

“Each pilgrim will receive a specially designed bag containing the Pakistani flag, a QR code for identification, and relevant information,” it said.

“A special mobile app will provide all information to the pilgrims on their mobile phones, enabling them to stay updated about their Haj group’s information, training schedule, flight details, accommodations in Saudi Arabia, and live maps and locations of sites during Haj.”

The statement said religious affairs minister Hussain would also participate in a four-day international Haj conference and expo organised by the Saudi Ministry of Haj in Jeddah where additional agreements would be made with institutions and companies responsible for providing facilities to pilgrims.

The country’s 2025 Haj Policy states that women will be prohibited from performing Haj without the consent of their husbands or parents. Moreover, children below 12 would not be allowed to go for Haj and immunisation of vaccines approved by Saudi Arabia was mandatory.