Govt continues to negotiate for remaining 65,000 Haj applicants: Yousaf

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Sardar Muhammad Yousaf on Friday informed the Senate that Saudi Arabia had initially allocated a Haj quota of 179,210 pilgrims to Pakistan this year, equally divided between government and private sectors.

During a Senate session, the minister explained that, as per Saudi government directives, all Haj companies (both public and private) were required to complete payments for accommodations, services (Tawaf), and other expenses by “February 14, 2025”. Pilgrims registered under companies that met the deadline were successfully enrolled on the Saudi portal, while others lost their quota.

Sardar Yousuf clarified that this issue was not unique to Pakistan, as “300,000 to 350,000 pilgrims worldwide” faced similar challenges.

Following persistent efforts, the Saudi government granted Pakistan an extra quota of 10,000 pilgrims, of which around 23,000 to 25,000 applicants have since finalized their payments.

So far, approximately 115,000 Pakistani pilgrims have been approved for Haj 2025. The minister assured that the government continues to negotiate for the remaining 65,000 applicants, emphasizing that he has visited Saudi Arabia twice and sent follow-up appeals to officials. He dismissed claims of delayed communication, stating that private Haj companies were repeatedly reminded via official letters to adhere to Saudi deadlines. Sardar Yousuf reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to facilitating all eligible pilgrims, saying, “We are seriously engaged with Saudi authorities to find a solution for the remaining applicants. “

Meanwhile, Senate Presiding Officer Sherry Rehman referred the matter to the Senate committee for further investigation and resolution.