ISLAMABAD (Kashmir English): The federal government has issued the formal notification of new Umrah rules under the Hajj and Umrah Act 2024 to make Umrah arrangements in the country more transparent, organized and effective.
Under these rules enforced after the approval of the federal cabinet, all future administrative, regulatory and monitoring matters regarding Umrah will be within the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony.
According to the Ministry of Religious Affairs, an Umrah Policy Committee has also been formed under the new rules for the preparation of a comprehensive Umrah policy.
The Additional Secretary of Religious Affairs will be the Chairman of the committee, while one high-ranking officer each from the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Law and Justice and Cabinet Division will be members of the committee.
The committee will formulate the new Umrah policy after consultation with all relevant stakeholders, which will be implemented after approval from the federal cabinet.
The ministry has directed all Umrah companies to immediately verify their Nusuk contracts according to the procedure issued on the ministry’s website so they can be included in the list of authentic Umrah operators.
The list of Umrah companies certified by the ministry will be released on the official website so the public can easily identify authentic operators.
Warning for Umrah pilgrims
The Ministry has also warned Umrah pilgrims to make their bookings only through certified Umrah operators available on the ministry’s website.
“In case of bookings through unregistered or uncertified companies, the responsibility for any resulting problems will lie with the concerned individuals, while the ministry will only redress complaints received against companies that are formally certified by the ministry.”
The ministry has directed pilgrims to always make Umrah package payments through banking channels and keep payment receipts, contracts and other relevant documents safe to ensure effective protection of their rights in case of any dispute or complaint.
According to officials, the purpose of the new Umrah rules is to promote transparency, accountability and effective monitoring in the Umrah sector, discourage illegal and unregistered operators and ensure complete protection of the rights of Umrah pilgrims.
New Umrah Policy
After the approval of the Umrah Policy, only companies certified by the Ministry of Religious Affairs will be eligible to provide Umrah services, which will help in making Umrah arrangements more organized and restoring public confidence.
