As many as 67,000 Pakistani pilgrims have been deprived of performing Hajj in 2025 due to delays in agreements and payments to the Saudi government, according to Hajj organisers, reported 24|NewsHD TV channel.
The applications were rejected mainly because the bookings and payments were not made to the Saudi authorities on time.
This year, Saudi Arabia gave Pakistan a Hajj quota of 179,210 pilgrims, dividing it equally between the government and private tour organisers with 89,605 spots each. However, only 14,000 applications were approved under the private scheme.
Hajj organisers said they had booked arrangements for 67,000 pilgrims and sent 7 million Saudi Riyals to Saudi Arabia for them.
But because agreements and payments were delayed. The Saudi authorities rejected their applications. This left thousands of people unable to perform Hajj.
After a special request from the Pakistani government, Saudi Arabia gave 10,000 extra Hajj quotas. However, this number was still not enough to cover all the applications, and 67,000 Pakistani pilgrims were left out.
Now, Hajj organisers are asking Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to step in and help solve the problem.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has ordered an urgent inquiry into the issue of the reduced private Hajj quota, which has stopped thousands of Pakistani pilgrims from performing Hajj in 2025.
The Prime Minister has formed a three-member committee to investigate the matter. The committee will find out who is responsible for not securing the private Hajj quota on time.
This committee is led by the Secretary of the Cabinet Division. It also includes the Chairman of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) and the Federal Secretary of Gilgit-Baltistan.
The committee must submit its report within three days. The report will explain why the private Hajj quota was not secured and who is responsible for the failure.
Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs Dr. Tariq Fazal Chaudhry told the House that problems in the Saudi Hajj portal stopped the money from being sent on time and this caused a big issue in the Hajj process.
During the session, MNA Alia Kamran raised a pointed question about why only employees from the Ministry of Religious Affairs are repeatedly selected as Hajj assistants. She questioned why officials from other ministries are not deputed in significant numbers for this duty.
In response, Minister Dr. Tariq Fazal Chaudhry clarified that staff from the Ministry of Religious Affairs are often prioritized because they possess experience and expertise in managing Hajj affairs. He also noted that the selection of Hajj assistants is conducted through the National Testing Service (NTS) to ensure transparency.
Meanwhile, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar tabled a motion in the House calling for a detailed discussion on the ongoing crisis in Palestine. The motion was approved for debate in an upcoming session.
Additionally, the scheduled question hour was postponed for the day due to time constraints.