Islamabad:
The government will begin to receive requests for the Hajj’s official program from August 4, following approval by the federal Hajj 2026 policy.
Selections will be carried out according to the first arrival principle, first served, in accordance with the Saudi chronology.
The Federal Minister of Religious Affairs and Interconfessional Harmony Sardar Muhammad Yousaf said that Pakistan had received a quota of 179,210 pilgrims – 119,210 within the framework of the government program and 60,000 for private operators, subject to final confirmation by the Saudi authorities.
The government program will include both the traditional package of 38-42 days and a shorter option of 20 to 25 days. The estimated costs should vary between 1.15 million rupees and RS1.25 million, according to the final agreements with service providers.
Pilgrims will have to file the Hajj contributions in two payments, with the first episode-RS500,000 for the long package and RS550,000 for the court through the designated banks, he added.
Minister Yousaf said that candidates should have valid Pakistani passports until at least November 26, 2026 on November 26, and that children under 12 will not be eligible for Hajj this year. He said that all pilgrims should be vaccinated with vaccines approved by Saudi Arabia.
He said the “Road to Makkah” initiative will continue at Islamabad and Karachi airports. He said that the Overseas Pakistani people will be authorized to present payments from the Hajj in bank accounts appointed as part of the program. Policy obliges the compulsory payments of animal sacrifices through the Saudi official system, he added.
Minister Yousaf said that private hajj operators, including dependent HAJJ companies (DHC), will be subject to strict financial guarantees and transparent digital monitoring.
He said that these operators had to conclude service providers’ agreements with the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interconfessional Harmony and operate in real -time data monitoring to ensure transparency, prevent double reservations and guarantee timely services.
He said that a third -party audit system will assess the performance of government and private HAJJ. The Punjab Information Technology Board will continue operational digital support, with the Ministry of Computers supervising supervision via NITB, he added.
Minister Yousaf said that other measures include the deployment of emergency intervention teams, pursuing the “Hajj Guardian regime” to compensate for pilgrims for losses, compulsory logistics training, rituals and emergency protocols, and a fully digitized complaint repair mechanism.
He said that “the Pak Hajj application” and that the net assistance will help pilgrims to updates and problem solving throughout the Hajj process. The Hajj 2026 policy will help ensure transparent, efficient and fulfilling spiritually experience for all Pakistani pilgrims by digitization, regulations and improved mechanisms for the provision of services, he maintained.
The Hajj 2026 policy includes a government quota of 70% and a private sector quota by 30%. It was pointed out that, following problems with the private sector in the previous year, private companies will guarantee the participation of pilgrims who missed Hajj in 2025.
