The Minister of Religious Affairs, Sardar Muhammad Yousaf, announced Friday that about 25,698 pilgrims will be able to perform Hajj this year under the private scheme.
This acute reduction follows thousands of revoked spaces due to the breach of private operators to comply with the rules and reserve deadlines of Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia had assigned Pakistan a total quota of 179,210 pilgrims by 2025. Traditionally, this quota is uniformly divided between the government and the private sectors.
However, the part of the private sector fell dramatically of 89,801 by just over 25,000 after not complying with the procedure requirements established by the Saudi authorities, leaving more than 67,000 possible affected pilgrims.
Yousaf said during a press conference that by February 14, only 3,600 pilgrims had presented payments, but after an extension of a week, the number increased to 13,000.
Read more: Funds for 67,000 Pilgrims of the Pakistani Hajj sent to an incorrect account
He also noted that while 904 Hajj private operators were registered with Saudi authorities based on the Ministry list, many pilgrims made payments to unregistered operators, ignoring the official guidelines. A committee formed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will investigate the subject, Yousaf added.
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 only the official channels of the Ministry to avoid fraud.
Some registered private operators also did not comply with the Saudi deadlines for the payment, which led Premier Sharif to ensure an extension, which was granted.
Hajj pilgrimage is expected to take place between June 4 and June 9. Almost 89,000 Pakistani will travel under the government’s scheme, and the Pakistan Hajj flight operation began on April 29. Until now, 55,642 pilgrims have arrived in Saudi Arabia through 244 flights.
