ISLAMABAD, May 16 (Alliance News): Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Sardar Muhammad Yousaf on Friday informed the National Assembly that Saudi Arabia had allocated a Hajj quota of 179,210 pilgrims to Pakistan for 2025, equally divided between the government and private sectors.
Addressing a Senate session, the minister said all Hajj companies were required to finalize payments for accommodations, Tawafa services, and other related expenses by February 14, 2025, as per Saudi directives.
Companies that met the deadline had their pilgrims successfully registered on the Saudi portal, while those that failed lost their allocated slots.
Sardar Yousaf clarified that the issue was not limited to Pakistan. “Some 300,000 to 350,000 pilgrims globally” faced similar challenges.
However, after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif personally intervened and requested an extension, Saudi authorities extended the deadline to February 21, enabling an additional 13,600 Pakistani pilgrims to complete their payments.
Following continued diplomatic engagement, Saudi Arabia granted Pakistan an additional quota of 10,000 pilgrims, bringing the total number of confirmed Pakistani pilgrims for Hajj 2025 to approximately 115,000.
The minister added that 23,000 to 25,000 applicants finalized their payments under the extended timeline.
Efforts are ongoing to accommodate the remaining 65,000 applicants. Sardar Yousaf stated he had made two visits to Saudi Arabia and sent several appeals to Saudi officials.
He rejected accusations of delayed communication, noting that private Hajj companies were repeatedly reminded through official letters to meet the deadlines.
“We are seriously engaged with Saudi authorities to find a solution for the remaining applicants,” he emphasized.
Meanwhile, Senate Presiding Officer Sherry Rehman referred the matter to the Senate committee for further investigation and resolution.
