Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Sardar Muhammad Yousaf informed the Senate on Friday that Saudi Arabia initially allocated a quota of 179,210 Hajj pilgrims to Pakistan for 2025, equally divided between the government and private sectors.
According to the minister, all Hajj operators were required by Saudi authorities to complete payments for services by February 14, 2025. Only those meeting the deadline had their pilgrims registered successfully. As a result, many Pakistani applicants linked to late-paying operators were excluded — a problem that also affected hundreds of thousands of pilgrims globally.
Also Read: Pakistan Appeals to Saudi Arabia to Restore Private Hajj Quota
Following Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s direct appeal to Saudi officials, the payment deadline was extended to February 21. This allowed an additional 13,600 Pakistani pilgrims to make payments. Later, Saudi Arabia granted Pakistan an extra 10,000 slots, enabling 23,000 to 25,000 more pilgrims to secure their spots. So far, about 115,000 Pakistani pilgrims have been confirmed for Hajj this year.
Minister Yousaf stated that efforts are ongoing to secure options for the remaining 65,000 applicants. He dismissed allegations of miscommunication with private operators, stressing that repeated official reminders were issued in time.
