ISLAMABAD, Apr 23(Alliance News): A major administrative failure has left over 67,000 Pakistani pilgrims unable to perform Hajj 2025 under the private scheme, as a result of mismanagement and financial delays by private Hajj operators, officials confirmed during a meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Religious Affairs.
According to official documents, the Hajj flight operations are scheduled to begin from April 29, but only 23,620 pilgrims from the private sector will be able to proceed. Most private tour operators failed to deposit the mandatory dues by the February 14 deadline, a key condition set by the Saudi authorities for finalizing travel, visa, and lodging arrangements.
In the briefing, Secretary Religious Affairs Dr. Atta-ur-Rehman revealed that the Saudi government’s 48-hour portal window for confirming pilgrim details was missed by most private Hajj Group Organizers (HGOs), who could not transfer the required $300,000 on time. This led to the automatic closure of the portal, disqualifying thousands of Pakistani pilgrims.
He further informed the committee that HGOs with quotas under 2,000 pilgrims were restructured into clusters of 45 large companies, leaving smaller operators out of the system. Despite Saudi Arabia opening an additional quota of 10,000 pilgrims on Pakistan’s request through Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, this space remained unutilized due to slow ministry coordination.
Representatives from the private Hajj operators’ association, HOPE, disclosed that 50 million riyals were mistakenly transferred to the wrong account in December, delaying critical payments by nearly a month.
They also alleged that the Ministry of Religious Affairs prioritized the government quota and delayed access for private operators despite having received initial payments for 77,000 pilgrims.
Members of the committee, including Shagufta Jumani and Chairman Malik Amir Dogar, expressed deep concern and demanded transparency. Dogar questioned how the 50 million riyals ended up in an OPEC account and why the ministry failed to secure the rights of private pilgrims in time.
DG Hajj Makkah Abdul Wahab, participating online, clarified that the Saudi portal operates on a first-come, first-served basis and any resolution now depends on direct engagement between Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif and the Saudi Crown Prince.
Secretary Rehman confirmed that while the Saudi agreement did not cancel Pakistan’s quota, the failure to meet payment deadlines resulted in missed allocations. Around 700 million riyals (Rs 36 billion) are still lying in Saudi accounts, and efforts are underway to assess whether this can be refunded or adjusted, especially for building rents and transportation costs.
The committee demanded a clear breakdown of government-held funds, and called for immediate efforts at the highest diplomatic level to reclaim the lost quota and ensure no pilgrim suffers due to bureaucratic negligence.
