KARACHI: Tahira Parveen sits inside a small room in her Karachi home, reciting a passage from the holy Qur’an. Among the many things that she prays for, the 62-year-old widow also desperately seeks the opportunity to perform Hajj once in her lifetime.
Many Pakistanis devote a significant portion of their lives to save for the annual Hajj pilgrimage and long to see the holy Islamic sites in Makkah and Madinah. However, a weak currency and surging inflation have made Hajj a costly affair, with packages in the Economy category under public and private schemes standing at around Rs1.3 million ($4,666) per person.
Five years ago, the estimated cost for one person’s Hajj journey was Rs650,000 ($2,333) in the same category, according to data from the Hajj Organizers Association of Pakistan (HOAP). Hajj costs soared as Pakistan’s national currency depreciated over the years, while the recent US-Iran war has also caused inflationary pressures on millions in the country.
Parveen, a 62-year-old widow, faces the uphill battle of performing the Hajj in times of inflation. She has saved small amounts of money over the years but after losing both her husband and son, the pilgrimage now feels even more distant and the journey, unattainable.
“I have put in a lot of effort. I have tried a lot,” she told Arab News. “But god has not given me the resources yet.”
Parveen said she tried to save money for Hajj through ballot committees, an informal savings arrangement used by people in Pakistan to save money or borrow lump sums without going to a bank.
But saving money is becoming increasingly difficult as the cost of living goes up.
“Inflation has increased so much that a person can hardly arrange for house expenses, let alone Hajj and Umrah that are now out of the picture,” she said.
Naeem Jamal, a 42-year-old who operates an embroidery machine and makes only Rs50,000 ($179) per month, said his biggest dream is to perform the Hajj with his wife and child. To fulfill that dream, Jamal has saved some money over the years so that “Allah calls me for Hajj.”
However, rising costs are pushing that dream farther away from his grasp.
“As far as I know, it [Hajj cost per person] has reached Rs1.4 million ($5,025),” Jamal told Arab News. “Only Allah can do it. I cannot afford it.”
Pakistan’s currency traded near the Rs150 mark against the US dollar a few years ago. As Pakistan’s fragile economy suffered a balance of payments crisis over the past few years, the rupee depreciated to the Rs280-285 range, increasing the cost of imported goods and foreign-denominated services.
For aspiring pilgrims like Jamal, the impact is devastating because almost every component of Hajj, including airfare, accommodation, transportation and services in Saudi Arabia, is paid in foreign currency.
“If I keep saving the way I am doing with this income, it will take years,” Jamal lamented.
Pakistan made some economic gains over the years, the most important of which was bringing inflation down to single-digit figures. However, as petrol prices increased due to the US-Iran war, inflation rose to 10.9 percent in April, squeezing household budgets across the country.
Saving for Hajj becomes an uphill task when one has to pay utility bills, rent and groceries from their monthly salary, Jamal said.
’HELPLESS’
Over 179,000 Pakistanis are expected to perform Hajj later this month, with thousands already in Saudi Arabia.
Furqan Abdul Qadir, who used to head the south zone of HOAP, said Hajj packages offered by private tour operators that fall under the Economy category are being offered for Rs1.3 million ($4,666), while premium packages under private tour operators range between Rs2 million ($7,178) and Rs4 million ($14,356).
“The biggest challenge we have is that we have devalued our currency a lot in the last five years,” Qadir said.
He is also the chief executive of the Universal Brothers (Pvt) Limited, a tour operating company that sends about 500 pilgrims to Hajj every year.
He explained that accommodation in Makkah and Madinah, transportation, food, fuel costs and international airfares were all tied to global pricing structures, making Hajj particularly vulnerable to currency depreciation.
Inflation and a weak currency have also hit people’s buying power, Kaleem Ahmed, who operates a shop selling Ihrams and other items such as prayer mats, told Arab News.
An Ihram used to cost Rs800-1,000 ($2.8-2.9) around five years ago, Ahmed said. Today, it costs around Rs2,500-3,000 ($8.9-11).
“At that time, people used to take three to four Ihrams. Now, people are helpless. Now, they only take two,” he said.
