ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Director General Hajj Abdul Wahab Soomro said on Thursday that Islamabad is offering its citizens the lowest-cost Hajj package globally, vowing that authorities have aimed to prioritize pilgrims’ comfort, safety and spiritual fulfillment for this year’s pilgrimage.

Pakistan this year introduced a shortened Hajj program of 20 to 25 days to make the pilgrimage more convenient and accessible, the Ministry of Religious Affairs said earlier this year. It set the cost at around Rs1,075,000 ($3,854) for the long Hajj package and Rs1,150,000 ($4,122) for the short Hajj package, as shorter stays often incur higher airfare, premium accommodation rates, and expedited transport services, which drive up overall costs.

In a statement issued from Makkah, Soomro said the government’s Hajj Scheme for 88,380 pilgrims is being elevated to “unprecedented heights” to ensure a seamless and spiritually enriching pilgrimage, state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported.

“Highlighting the key initiatives, he [Soomro] said our scheme offers the lowest-cost Hajj package globally,” Radio Pakistan said. “Pilgrims are now given the option to choose between single, double, or triple-bed rooms at an additional cost.”

The official said that due to the non-uniform nature of Makkah’s buildings, accommodations are allocated to Pakistani pilgrims based on pilgrim profiling to ensure optimal convenience.

He said Pakistan’s health care network, in collaboration with the Saudi German Hospital and other leading medical institutions, ensures 24/7 emergency care.

“The DG Hajj said such innovative measures and enhancements demonstrate a strong commitment to facilitating Hajj with maximum convenience at minimal cost,” the statement added.

This year’s Hajj will take place in June, with over 23,620 Pakistanis expected to perform the pilgrimage through private tour operators.

LONDON: The number of asylum seekers has risen sharply in recent years in the United Kingdom, with tens of thousands of applications still waiting to be decided, according to official figures.

Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced Thursday that he had begun formal talks with unspecified countries to create “return centers” outside the UK for those who have exhausted all legal avenues to remain in the country.

The number of asylum seekers in the UK has tripled in recent years, with 84,200 applications in 2024, compared with an average of 27,500 between 2011 and 2020, according to official figures.

In 2022, there were approximately 13 asylum applications per 10,000 people in the UK, compared with 25 asylum applications per 10,000 people in the EU at the same time.

Some 11 percent of migrants in the UK were asylum seekers or refugees in 2023 — almost twice as high as the 2019 figure of six percent.

The proportion of initial asylum applications rejected in 2024 was 53 percent, compared with 88 percent in 2004 and 24 percent in 2022.

Between 2004 and 2021, approximately three-quarters of applicants whose initial request was rejected appealed the decision, with a third being succesful.

More than 9,000 failed asylum seekers were deported in 2024 — 36 percent more than in 2023.

Some 224,700 cases were a “work in progress” in 2024, with 87,200 awaiting an initial decision and 137,500 awaiting follow-up after an initial refusal, according to official documents.

This total has been declining since 2022 but remains four times higher than in 2014 due to longer waiting times for an initial decision and a larger number of people facing deportation.

The number of people crossing the Channel in makeshift boats, a route that virtually did not exist before 2018, has increased sharply in recent years.

Between 2018 and December 2024, 148,000 migrants risked their lives and reached UK shores by this route, according to official figures.

Of those, 95 percent applied for asylum, representing 29 percent of all asylum seekers over that period.

Nearly 13,000 migrants have already crossed the Channel in 2025, more than in the same period in 2024.

In 2024, the largest group of asylum seekers hailed from Pakistan, followed by Afghanistan. In previous years, they came mainly from Syria and Iran.