Following the serious administrative failures that prevented more than 67,000 possible pilgrims from making the Hajj this year, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has ordered the Ministry of Religious Affairs to begin planning and logistic preparations immediately for Hajj 2026.
By chairing a high -level review meeting in Islamabad on Saturday, the prime minister said such negligence would not be tolerated in the future and instructed the Ministry to develop a comprehensive roadmap aligned with the Hajj policy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
“Serving the Pilgrims of the Hajj is a sacred responsibility. Any negligence in this regard will be unacceptable,” said Prime Minister during the meeting.
Read more: ‘Private Hajj quota’ lost due to negligence
In 2025, Saudi Arabia had assigned a total quota of 179,210 pilgrims to Pakistan, traditionally uniformly divided between the government and the private operators of Hajj. However, delays and poor management in compliance with the procedure requirements led to the underutilization of the quota, particularly in the private sector.
As a result, the private sector part of the slots assigned 89,801 to only 25,698, leaving more than 67,000 pilgrims that cannot travel.
The period led the prime minister to form an investigation committee of three members in April to investigate the breach of the Hajj policy of the kingdom.
To avoid a repetition of this year’s debacle, the prime minister ordered that early and detailed arrangements be made, including immediate coordination with the Saudi authorities. He also instructed the regularization of Hajj’s private scheme to guarantee better supervision and compliance.
He also ordered the presentation of an action plan shortly after the Hajj period for next year.
The meeting was attended by federal ministers Sardar Muhammad Yousaf and Musadik Malik, along with senior officials of the Ministry of Religious Affairs and other relevant departments. A formal action plan is expected to be presented soon.
