Senate Briefed on Saudi Arabia’s Strict Payment Rules
ISLAMABAD:
Federal Minister for Religious Affairs, Sardar Muhammad Yousaf, informed the Senate on Friday that 65,000 Pakistani pilgrims may miss the opportunity to perform Hajj in 2025 due to strict payment deadlines enforced by Saudi Arabia.
Saudi authorities initially allocated a quota of 179,210 pilgrims to Pakistan this year, split equally between the government and private sectors. According to Saudi guidelines, all Hajj operators—both public and private—were required to complete payments for accommodations, Tawafa services, and related expenses by February 14, 2025.
Only those pilgrims registered with companies that met the deadline were successfully processed on the Saudi Hajj portal. Those affiliated with late-paying operators lost their allocated slots.
Minister Yousaf emphasized that the issue was not exclusive to Pakistan, as 300,000 to 350,000 pilgrims from other countries faced similar difficulties. However, after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif intervened personally, the Saudi authorities extended the payment deadline to February 21. This extension allowed an additional 13,600 Pakistanis to complete the necessary formalities.
Following continued diplomatic efforts, Saudi Arabia granted Pakistan an additional quota of 10,000 pilgrims. Since then, between 23,000 and 25,000 applicants have finalized their payments, bringing the total confirmed Pakistani pilgrims to around 115,000.
The minister assured that the government is actively working to secure arrangements for the remaining 65,000 applicants. He said he has visited Saudi Arabia twice to advocate for them and has also submitted formal requests for relief.
Addressing concerns about delayed communication, Yousaf denied that the government failed to inform private Hajj operators in time. He stated that multiple official reminders were sent to ensure compliance with Saudi deadlines.
“We are fully committed to ensuring that every eligible pilgrim is able to perform Hajj,” Yousaf stated, reaffirming Pakistan’s continued engagement with Saudi authorities to resolve the issue.
