Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Sardar Muhammad Yousaf told the Senate on Friday that Pakistan was initially granted a Hajj quota of 179,210 pilgrims for 2025, evenly split between government and private operators. However, complications arose when some private Hajj companies failed to meet Saudi Arabia’s strict payment deadline of February 14.
Due to delayed payments for services like accommodation and Tawafa, affected companies lost their assigned quotas, impacting thousands of registered pilgrims. The minister clarified that the issue was global, affecting up to 350,000 pilgrims worldwide.
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Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif intervened promptly, personally requesting an extension from Saudi authorities. The deadline was successfully extended to February 21, enabling 13,600 more Pakistani pilgrims to complete their payments. Subsequently, Saudi Arabia also granted Pakistan an additional 10,000 pilgrim slots.
As a result of these efforts, 23,000 to 25,000 more applicants were accommodated, bringing the total confirmed Pakistani pilgrims to around 115,000 so far. The government continues to push for relief for the remaining 65,000 applicants, with the minister making multiple visits to Saudi Arabia and issuing formal appeals.
Sardar Yousaf denied claims of miscommunication with private Hajj operators, stating that repeated official reminders were issued well before the deadlines. He assured the public that every effort is being made to ensure all eligible pilgrims are facilitated.
