The delay in agreement finalization and payment to Saudi authorities will prevent 67,000 Pakistani pilgrims from participating in Hajj in 2025 based on information from Hajj organizers.
Many applications failed to obtain booking approvals and full payment clearance to Saudi Arabia thus became the main problem. The Saudi Arabian government assigned 179210 pilgrim spots to Pakistan for this year including 89605 places for state and private travel operators. The private scheme received just 14000 out of the thousands of applications submitted.
The Saudi authorities denied the applications for 67,000 pilgrims because Hajj organizers had already secured bookings and sent SAR 7 million to Saudi Arabia for their expenses. The Saudi authorities rejected both applications and private scheme bookings because the waiting time to finalize agreements and complete payments became extended beyond acceptable limits for the sacred journey.
A special appeal from Pakistani authorities received an additional 10,000 Saudi Arabian quotas yet numerous people still remained ineligible for pilgrimage. A total number of 67,000 Pakistani pilgrims lost their opportunity to participate in the journey.
The Hajj organizing council issued a plea to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif regarding resolving this matter. The Prime Minister conducted an immediate investigation to understand the reasons behind private Hajj quota decreases that blocked thousands of Pakistani pilgrims from performing Hajj in 2025.
The PM Shehbaz Sharif launched a three-member investigative committee whose leadership comes from the Cabinet Division Secretary. The committee gathers members who include the Chairman for Federal Board of Revenue and the Gilgit-Baltistan Federal Secretary. The team must create an extensive document to explain all the factors behind the private Hajj quota failure as well as name all responsible parties in three days.
