The Ministry of Guidance, Hajj, and Religious Affairs has announced the start of the process for distributing the remaining funds to the Hajj pilgrims of the solar year 1403 (2024). This process is set to begin today (Wednesday) in the capital and provinces.
Noor Mohammad Saqib, the Acting Minister of the Ministry, stated that more than 113 million dollars were collected from the pilgrims, of which over 112 million dollars were spent, and the remaining money will be distributed to the pilgrims.
Regarding this, Saqib said: “After a precise calculation of the Hajj expenses, a total of 112 million, 347 thousand, 800 dollars, and 82 cents were spent for all the pilgrims.”
The Acting Minister of Guidance, Hajj, and Religious Affairs added that after the Hajj ceremony, 1,111,010 dollars and 14 cents remain with the ministry, and each individual will be paid 37 dollars and 61 Afghanis.
Noor Mohammad Saqib further stated: “Pilgrims should come to collect their money at a specified time, but these funds are kept in trust in the banks as their rightful property and can be claimed whenever the pilgrims come forward.”
The Acting Minister also mentioned that Afghanistan’s Hajj quota for the solar year 1404 (2025) will also be 30,000 people. However, the ministry is striving to increase the quota based on the country’s population, which reaches 45 million.
Saqib said: “We are now trying through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other means to ensure our population is recognized by the international community and reported to Saudi Arabia so that our quota can be increased.”
It is worth noting that in the solar year 1403 (2024), the quota for the country’s pilgrims was 30,000 people.