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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s religious affairs ministry announced on Thursday that the government has started the process of refunding savings from Hajj 2025 back to pilgrims, saying that an amount of Rs3.5 billion [$12.4 million] will be refunded by Oct. 31. 

Pakistan’s government offers refunds to Hajj pilgrims from the amount it saves on the cost of the annual Islamic pilgrimage. In a press release, the religious affairs ministry said the refunds will be transferred directly to the pilgrims’ bank accounts via their respective bank branches. 

������Ƶ granted Pakistan a total quota of 179,210 pilgrims for Hajj last year. Typically, this national quota is evenly split between government-run and private schemes. 

“The process of refunding the savings from Hajj 2025 has also commenced,” the religious affairs ministry announced. “A total of PKR 3.5 billion ($12.4 million) will be refunded to pilgrims of Hajj 2025.”

The ministry said that the difference in refund amounts is primarily due to variations in accommodation costs in the different zones of Mina and Makkah. It gave a breakdown of the refund numbers:

Around 25% of the total pilgrims, which amount to 21,895, will not get any refund.  

A total of 14% of the pilgrims, 12,286, will receive Rs12,000 each [$42.60] while 13,939 pilgrims will receive Rs25,000 [$88.75] each and 10% of the total pilgrims, amounting to 8,496, will receive Rs48,000 [170.4] each. 

Around 23% of the total pilgrims, 20,302, will receive Rs75,000 [$266.25] each, 12% of the total pilgrims, 10,945, will receive Rs90,000 [$319.50] each and 408 pilgrims will reach receive Rs110,000 [$390.50] each. 

Pakistan has been allocated the same quota of 179,210 pilgrims for Hajj 2026. Of these, around 118,000 seats have been allocated to the government scheme and the rest to private tour operators. The religious affairs ministry noted that this year, an additional quota of 30,000 pilgrims has been issued for the government scheme.

It reminded prospective pilgrims that the second installment of Hajj 2026 must be deposited at the designated banks between Nov. 3-15, adding that each pilgrim will be notified through the official “Pak Hajj” mobile application.

The cost for the Long Hajj Package (40 days) has been set at Rs1,150,000 [$4,094], while the short Hajj package, with a duration of 25 days, will cost pilgrims Rs1,200,000 [$4,272].

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Poland on Thursday agreed to expand their $1 billion bilateral trade while signing two memorandums of understanding (MoU) to enhance cooperation between their foreign ministries and research institutes.

The agreements were signed during the visit of Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski, who is in Islamabad for talks focused on broadening collaboration in trade, energy, defense and education.

One MoU was inked between the foreign ministries of both countries, and another between Pakistan’s Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad and Poland’s Polish Institute of International Affairs.

“We have over a billion dollars in bilateral trade and both sides agreed that there remains immense untapped potential to further expand trade and economic cooperation,” Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said at a joint news conference. “We agreed to expand bilateral cooperation in trade, energy, infrastructure, defense, counterterrorism, science, technology and education.”

Addressing the gathering, Sikorski said Warsaw sought to deepen ties in public finance, fintech, mining, water management and energy, noting that a Polish state-owned company was already investing in Pakistan’s gas exploration sector.

“We also discussed further cooperation in mining and the energy sector, building on the success of such engagements as the Polish oil and gas company exploring natural gas in Pakistan. This, I believe, has huge potential for the future,” he said.

The Polish minister highlighted educational and people-to-people exchanges, saying some 2,000 Pakistanis now live in Poland, including hundreds of students.

“Poland remains open to legal migration and real studies for real students,” he added, while reiterating Warsaw’s zero tolerance for illegal migration.

Both sides also discussed regional and global developments.

Dar raised Pakistan’s concerns over Indian actions in Kashmir and cross-border attacks from Afghan soil, while Sikorski underlined Poland’s support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and a two-state solution in the Middle East.