Saudi Arabia allows 10,000 more Pakistanis for Hajj

Federal Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Sardar Muhammad Yousuf said that flight operations will likely start from April 29, 2025, 90,000 Pakistanis will perform Hajj under the government scheme, an important meeting was held with the Saudi counterpart for Hajj pilgrims’ facilities, and other measures including vaccination of pilgrims are being taken, the short-term cost will be Rs 1.15 million while the long-term cost will be Rs 1.05 million.

Earlier, Federal Minister for Religious Affairs and Harmony held a press conference at Haji Camp Lahore regarding Hajj preparations and stated that the training session for Hajj is going to start from April 8.

However, he further stated that strict action was taken against anyone who was deported in the begging case, and Umrah visas are closed before Hajj.

Earlier, the Hajj pilgrimage of approximately 77,000 Pakistani citizens is in jeopardy, due to the failure of private Hajj group organizers to implement the Saudi government’s conditions in a timely manner.

However, in this regard, Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif has taken notice of this serious situation and ordered an investigation, while Saudi authorities have made it clear that it is not possible to accommodate these people due to the lack of zone allocation in the stipulated time and limited capacity in Mina.
According to media sources negligence by the relevant private sector, court orders, and complexities of the financial system have led to this crisis.

On Saturday, a committee was formed to investigate the Hajj arrangements and submit its recommendations to the PM within three days.
Moreover, the committee’s task is to “identify the responsible officers who have caused the current situation to be disrupted and suggest a way forward while protecting the interests of private pilgrims.”

On this issue, Pakistan Ulema Council Chairman Tahir Mahmood Ashrafi told stated hat out of the private Hajj quota of 90,000, Saudi Arabia has refused to accommodate the remaining ‘about 77,000 Hajj pilgrims,’ saying that since the zones were not allotted on time and there is little space in Mina, these people cannot be accommodated.