Islamabad: Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Sardar Muhammad Yousaf has directed the Dependent Hajj Companies to complete the booking of 20,000 private Hajj pilgrims within the next seven days. This directive was announced during a meeting he chaired in Islamabad.

According to Radio Pakistan, the minister also instructed the initiation of an awareness campaign to ensure the completion of the booking process for the remaining private Hajj pilgrims. During the meeting, it was observed that 40,000 Hajj pilgrims have already been booked under the private scheme, leaving a shortfall against the total quota of 60,000. The deadline for completing the booking is the 17th of this month.