Islamabad:
The federal government finalizes a new Hajj policy which will request an extended quota of 255,000 pilgrims for Pakistan next year, against 189,000 of this year.
The policy, which is being prepared in consultation with the stakeholders and will soon be deposited in front of the cabinet, also aims to explore the resumption of Hajj’s trips at sea and to prolong the immigration of “Road to Makka” from Saudi Arabia to more Pakistani airports.
The developments were shared at a meeting of the Standing Committee on Religious Affairs of the National Assembly on Monday.
The panel met under the chairmanship of Malik Amir Dogar in Parliament, where the Federal Minister of Religious Affairs Sardar Muhammad Yousaf gave a complete briefing on the arrangements of the Hajj of this year.
He said that this year’s pilgrimage was “one of the most successful recent memory”, adding that the Saudi government and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had congratulated the Pakistani authorities for well -performed operations.
“For the first time, Pakistan received a” prize for excellence “from the Saudi government for its exceptional Hajj management,” he told the committee. He added that Pakistani pilgrims had received air -conditioned installations in key ritual sites such as Arafat.
Yousaf said that a new Hajj policy was formulated under the Prime Minister’s instructions and in accordance with Saudi directives, and would soon be presented to the federal cabinet. Committee members were invited to share suggestions for the new policy.
He added that the Saudi authorities had already expressed their Hajj policy updated on the 12th Dhul Hijjah.
Regarding the registration in Hajj 2025, the minister revealed that more than 455,000 people had already registered. “The previous quota of Pakistan was 189,000 pilgrims. Next year, we hope to receive an extended quota of 255,000, for which we submitted a request to the Saudi authorities,” he added.
The Committee also discussed Hajj’s cost reduction by offering payment options based on payments, taking up travel by sea and limiting the use of luxury accommodation.
Without Mahram
During the session, the Committee also discussed the recent policy of the Saudi government allowing women to carry out the Hajj and the Omra without Mahram (male guardian).
While the minister confirmed that no Pakistani pilgrim was assigned to an Indian company – specifying that a company named “Asia Bhart” was confused with an Indian entity because of his name – a member has raised religious concerns.
The Committee later decided to request the opinion of the Islamic Ideology Council (CII) on the permissibility of women traveling without Mahram for the pilgrimage under Islamic lessons.
