The Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar presided over a meeting of the Federal Cabinet where several decisions were made regarding the government and private Hajj Schemes. It was decided to return the unavailed quota of these schemes to the Saudi Government, and a monitoring system will be put in place to regulate the financial matters of Hajj group organizers. Flexibility will be allowed for pilgrims over 80 years of age, but private Group Organizers will need to sign an agreement to hire local attendants for the pilgrims during their stay in Saudi Arabia.
The Cabinet also approved reduction in the hardship Hajj quota and decided that fifty percent of local moavineen will comprise Pakistani students studying in Saudi universities. The Cabinet made new amendments in light of recommendations from a previous meeting where a committee was formed to improve the Hajj Policy 2024.
In addition, the cabinet approved the imposition of a 40 percent tax on the windfall profit of banks earned during 2021 and 2022, and included Congo, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Kyrgyzstan in the business visa list. The placement of nine people on the Exit Control List and the deletion of 18 others from the ECL was also approved.
The cabinet approved a budget of 267.59 million rupees for the Jammu and Kashmir State property for the current fiscal year, and instructed the preparation of a draft insurance of accession for the ratification of the Hong Kong International Convention 2009. The cabinet also exempted certain rules for the procurement of 200,000 metric tons of urea from the international market and approved Bilateral Investment Treaties with Saudi Arabia and Qatar.