ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony, Sardar Muhammad Yousaf, on Friday attributed the underutilization of Pakistan’s private Hajj quota to missed deadlines and non-compliance by private tour operators.
Addressing a press conference at PTV headquarters, he said the private sector failed to remit funds on time and did not meet Saudi government requirements, resulting in unused slots under the private Hajj scheme.
According to the minister, the total Hajj quota for Pakistan was split equally between government and private schemes. While the government quota has been fully utilized, the private sector fell short due to operators’ failure to comply with Saudi rules, including a requirement for companies to hold a minimum allocation of 2,000 pilgrims.
Sardar Yousaf said the Hajj Organizers Association of Pakistan (HOAP) had formed 41 clusters and was required to deposit 25% of the funds by February 14. However, very little was deposited by the deadline. Even after a 48-hour extension, only enough was secured for 10,000 pilgrims.
Tour operators claimed they were unaware of the deadlines, but the minister stated all qualifying companies were provided with the necessary information well in advance. He said, “Tour operators showed negligence in meeting deadlines,” and added that “we provided the relevant lists to the qualifying companies well in advance.”
Minister Yousaf said he visited Saudi Arabia twice to oversee arrangements and personally reviewed services for government scheme pilgrims, including transport, food, and lodging. He said complaints are being addressed promptly, and companies failing to meet service standards, such as food provision, will be blacklisted.
A transport issue has already been resolved, he added.
On the matter of accommodations, Secretary for Religious Affairs Dr. Atta-ur-Rehman explained that some operators transferred funds to incorrect accounts, delaying bookings. He said that while the DG Hajj account received only 50 million riyals against a requirement of 700 million, misrouted funds were eventually returned.
“Plots could have been booked with the available funds if they were managed properly,” he said.
Dr. Rehman also addressed issues involving a blacklisted Saudi company that was awarded a contract this year. He said an investigation is underway. He added that pilgrims had the option to forgo pre-arranged meals in exchange for 34 Saudi Riyals per day, but no one has availed this option so far.
In response to the shortfall in quota utilization, Foreign Minister-led diplomatic efforts resulted in an additional 10,000 quota allocation shared with other Muslim countries. This year, 25,698 pilgrims will travel under Pakistan’s private Hajj scheme.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has constituted a high-level inquiry committee to investigate the matter. Minister Yousaf confirmed that those responsible will face action once the report is completed.
He concluded that no additional quota would be made available by the Saudi government and that pilgrims who missed out under the private scheme this year will not be accommodated.
