The Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony in Pakistan has announced that Pakistani women will be permitted to participate in the Hajj pilgrimage without requiring a mehram (a close male relative), as outlined in the forthcoming Hajj Policy for 2024, according to a report by ARY News on Friday.

The official Hajj policy for 2024, set to be unveiled in the next two weeks, will incorporate this provision, as reported by ARY News.

Furthermore, the ministry has indicated that the Pakistan government will grant approval to the Hajj policy within the next 10 days, and the application process for Hajj in the upcoming year will proceed following the cabinet's endorsement.

In addition to these changes, the ministry has introduced new regulations regarding the sighting of the crescent moon. Under these new rules, only the Ruet-e-Hilal committee will have the authority to announce the sighting of the crescent moon, with no private committees being allowed to do so.

It's important to note that the Saudi Arabian government had previously announced in October of the previous year that the requirement for a mehram, a male blood relative with whom marriage is not permissible, to accompany a female pilgrim from any part of the world was no longer necessary. This announcement was made by Saudi Minister for Hajj and Umrah, Tawfiq Al-Rabiah, during a press conference, marking a significant change in the Kingdom's longstanding policy. According to Geo News, women are now allowed to perform Hajj or Umrah without a mehram and in the company of trusted women or a secure group, as supported by the viewpoint of Maliki and Shafi'i scholars.