In a significant development, the Secretary of the Ministry of Religious Affairs, Dr. Zulfiqar Haider, revealed that the government is considering withdrawing from handling Hajj arrangements starting in 2026. The entire Hajj program could be handed over to private operators, a move in response to directives from Saudi Arabia, as stated during a Senate Standing Committee on Religious Affairs meeting chaired by Senator Maulana Atta-ur-Rehman.
Dr. Haider highlighted that Saudi Arabia had raised concerns about the large number of companies managing Hajj operations. As a result, the number of companies was drastically reduced from 500 to 162 last year, and further reductions are expected. The Secretary warned that private Hajj operators must withdraw their court cases, or risk losing their quotas, which could be reassigned to other countries like India or Afghanistan.
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The Senate committee discussed the ongoing disputes between private operators and the Ministry of Religious Affairs. Private operators had previously registered 904 companies, but the Saudi government reduced the list to just 46, with each receiving a quota of 2,000 pilgrims. Complaints have also been a concern, with 80 filed against private operators, compared to 18,000 lodged against the government-run Hajj scheme.
The Secretary emphasized that the reduction in companies was part of an agreement with Saudi Arabia and approved by Pakistan’s Federal Cabinet. He warned that without resolving the current disputes, Pakistan could lose its private Hajj quota altogether, further complicating the issue.
The Senate committee called for cooperation between private operators and the Ministry to ensure smooth Hajj arrangements moving forward. The Secretary underscored that sending advance payments to Saudi Arabia without a formal agreement was illegal, urging private operators to finalize agreements as soon as possible to avoid further complications.
