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Express Tribune
25-04-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
PM to seek Saudi help for Hajj 2025 crisis affecting 67,000 Pakistani pilgrims
Listen to article Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday said Saudi authorities would be approached to facilitate around 67,000 Pakistani pilgrims whose participation in Hajj 2025 is in jeopardy due to delays in finalising agreements and payments. Chairing a high-level meeting on the issue on Friday, the prime minister expressed deep concern over the crisis and directed authorities to make every possible effort to ensure the pilgrims' journey to the holy sites. He assured the delegation present that he would personally raise the matter with Saudi officials to secure approval for the affected pilgrims under the private quota. 'This is a matter of shame for us,' he said, calling for swift and decisive action. 'We must do everything in our power to resolve this issue and avoid denying thousands of people the chance to fulfil a sacred obligation,' he added. The meeting was attended by Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Sardar Muhammad Yousaf, members of the Senate Standing Committee on Religious Affairs, and representatives from the Hajj Organizers Association of Pakistan (HOAP). The delegation briefed the prime minister on the crisis and appealed for his intervention to secure the necessary approvals for the pilgrims. Earlier, Secretary of Religious Affairs Dr Attaur Rehman told the Senate that the fate of the 67,000 pilgrims was no longer in the government's hands, citing new policy changes introduced by Saudi Arabia. According to the secretary, Riyadh has now mandated that only Hajj group organisers with quotas of 2,000 or more will be allowed to operate. As a result, 904 existing organisers have been merged into 45 larger Hajj companies. The policy shift has complicated preparations and caused delays in payments and administrative coordination, leaving thousands of pilgrims at risk of being unable to perform Hajj in 2025.
Express Tribune
18-04-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
PM urged to intervene in Hajj quota case
In November last year, the government announced that 179,210 Pakistani pilgrims would perform Hajj in 2025. Under the Hajj Policy, the Hajj quota was divided with a ratio of 50:50 between the government and private Hajj schemes with 89,605 seats reserved for each. However, in a statement issued on Thursday, the Ministry of Religious Affairs spokesperson, Umar Batt, announced that only 23,620 pilgrims from Pakistan will be able to perform Hajj in 2025 under the Private Hajj Scheme Prior to the announcement, the ministry's secretary informed the Senate committee that around 67,000 people enrolled under private scheme seemed unlikely to be able to perform Hajj this year. At a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Religious Affairs, both the Ministry of Religious Affairs and the president of the private Hajj operator's association gave detailed briefings. The association's president, Sanaullah, told the committee that the federal cabinet approved the Hajj Policy 2025 after a delay of over two months due to which private Hajj tour operators could not submit their applications on time. He said the funds of 67,000 pilgrims — 680 million riyals — had already been transferred to Saudi Arabia, and due to the limited time remaining, further arrangements were not possible. He demanded that a high-level committee be sent to Saudi Arabia, urging that the prime minister intervene in the matter. The Senate committee unanimously decided to write a letter to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif requesting a meeting so that he may speak with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
