The Minister of Religious Affairs, Sardar Muhammad Yousaf, announced on Friday that around 25,698 pilgrims could do the Hajj this year as part of the private program.
This sharp reduction follows thousands of slots revoked due to the failure of private operators to comply with the booking rules and the reservation times of Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia had allocated Pakistan a total Hajj quota of 179,210 pilgrims for 2025. Traditionally, this quota is also distributed between the government and the private sectors.
However, the share of the private sector increased considerably from 89,801 to just over 25,000 after having failed the procedural requirements set by the Saudi authorities, leaving more than 67,000 potential pilgrims affected.
Yousaf said at a press conference that on February 14, only 3,600 pilgrims had submitted payments, but after an extension of one week, the number increased to 13,000.
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He also noted that if 904 private hajj operators were recorded with the Saudi authorities according to the ministry’s list, many pilgrims have made payments to unregistered operators, ignoring the official directives. A committee trained by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will investigate the issue, added Yousaf.
He confirmed that Pakistani pilgrims would be transported by Pakistan International Airlines, Saudi Airlines, Air Sial, Airblue and Serene Air.
Earlier this month, the ministry urged pilgrims to verify the authenticity of private tour operators before making payments and relying only on the official canals of the ministry to avoid fraud.
Certain recorded private operators also did not meet the Saudi deadlines for payment, which prompted the first sharif to guarantee an extension, which was granted.
The hajj pilgrimage should take place between June 4 and 9. Nearly 89,000 Pakistani are expected to travel as part of the government program, Hajj flight operations in Pakistan began on April 29. Until now, 55,642 pilgrims have arrived in Saudi Arabia via 244 flights.
