HOAP seeks govt’s help to resolve visa issue facing intending pilgrims

KARACHI: Around 67,000 Pakistani pilgrims face uncertainty regarding their upcoming Hajj journey as visa approvals remain pending, prompting the Hajj Organisers Association of Pakistan (HOAP) to seek urgent government intervention.

During a press conference at Karachi Press Club on Monday, HOAP Chairman Zaeem Akhtar appealed to Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif to secure a 72-hour permission from Saudi authorities to resolve the ongoing visa crisis.

“The majority of these 67,000 pilgrims have saved their entire lives for this sacred journey,” Akhtar said. “We are facing unprecedented challenges with the visa confirmation process despite following all required procedures.”

According to Muhammad Saeed, HOAP’s media coordinator, data for 53,348 pilgrims has been entered into Saudi Arabia’s Nusuk system, but information for another 13,000 pilgrims remains unprocessed. The association has already paid 680 million Saudi riyals for pilgrim arrangements, he said.

HOAP officials pointed to several complicating factors, including confusion over payment deadlines in the Nusuk system, which was closed on February 14 and reopened only briefly from February 20-22.

The association blamed Ministry of Religious Affairs for discrepancies in the application timeline, noting that while government scheme applications were accepted from November 28 to March 25, private operators were only allowed to begin processing applications from January 14, 2025.

Further complications arose from Saudi Arabia’s unexpected increase in the minimum pilgrim cluster size from 500 to 2,000 this year, which required additional time for regulatory compliance through the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) and State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), Saeed said.

“Despite the increase in cluster size from 500 to 2,000 and HOAP’s repeated requests, the government has not permitted us to remit more than $300,000, which was previously allowed for just 500 pilgrims cluster,” Zaeem explained.

HOAP acknowledged Prime Minister Sharif’s earlier efforts, which reportedly secured an additional quota of 10,000 pilgrims from Saudi authorities. Pakistan’s total Hajj quota stands at 179,210, divided equally between government and private schemes at 89,605 each.

The association is now appealing for immediate diplomatic intervention to allow 72 hours permission for the submission of the remaining pilgrim applications through Saudi Arabia’s Nusuk system.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025