Ministry informs Senate body: Over 67,000 Pakistanis may be deprived of Hajj 2025

ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Religious Affairs officials on Thursday informed the Senate Standing Committee that over 67,000 Pakistani pilgrims may be deprived of the opportunity to perform Hajj 2025.

They stated that both Saudi Arabia and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif have made it clear that no further increase in the Hajj quota will be granted beyond the additional 10,000 already approved.

The Senate Standing Committee on Religious Affairs meeting was held under the chairmanship of Senator Maulana Attaur Rehman here at Parliament House.

The secretary of the Ministry of Religious Affairs warned that if Pakistan fails to fully utilise its allocated Hajj quota, and this situation continues, there is a risk that Saudi Arabia may reduce the country’s quota in the future.

The committee in response decided to write a letter to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and request a meeting to appeal for his intervention.

The committeee urged the prime minister to personally take up the matter with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to address the concerns of those left out under the private Hajj scheme.

The Hajj Organizers Association of Pakistan (HOAP) urged that, regardless of who is at fault, the matter must be resolved urgently in larger public interest. They emphasised that pilgrims who have collectively deposited Rs95 billion are at risk of being deprived of performing Hajj.

Representatives of travel companies highlighted their grievances and stated that they have booked 66,000 Hujjaj and done everything by the book, but to no avail. The Committee decided to take up the issue with the Prime Minister of Pakistan in order to provide immediate relief to the travel companies.

While discussing the issue of the management of Carvan-e-Labbaik Travels, the aggrieved party briefed that the ministry has been allocating Hajj quota to the company against whom a case is pending before the court, and SECP has written a letter stating management issues against the same company. Officials of the Ministry apprised that a detailed briefing on the matter will be presented before the committee in the next meeting.

The Senate Standing Committee on Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony, reviewed the process followed in the awarding of ‘Mashaer Services’ under the Government Hajj Scheme. Secretary for the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony, Dr. Ata ur Rehman, stated that earlier, the Secretary for Religious Affairs had delegated the powers of selection of Mashaer Services to the DG Hajj, and the latter constituted a committee including two officials from Foreign Affairs.

However, for the 2025 Hajj operations, the Secretary constituted a committee comprising officials of the ministry, including the other members. Moreover, while awarding the services, procurement rules were followed, and the bid was awarded to the lowest bidder, ‘AlRajhi Company,’ which made a bid of 2,875 riyals per Haji. However, a bid of 2,400 riyals was received during the Grievance Redressal Committee stage, but nothing could be done at that time.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025