1,65,000 Pakistanis will perform Hajj this year: Khursheed

ISLAMABAD—Federal minister for religious affairs, Syed Khurshid Ahmad Shah has said that, about 165,000 Pakistanis will perform hajj this year, while attending a briefing on hajj policy –2008 here on Monday.
Minister told that, this year the hajj quota has been increased by 5000 as the last year the number of pilgrims from Pakistan were 1,60,000, he also said that this year the Hajjis would have to bear some extra expenditure owing to continuous rise in oil prices all the over the world.
Minister assured that according to current Hajj policy , those applicants would be preferred who could not succeeded in the last two draws of pilgrimage.
Minister also informed that he would visit Saudi Arabia in the upcoming month for the provision of better facilities of lodging, boarding and transportation for Pakistanis pilgrims.—Online