ISLAMABAD:
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.
