Big Relief for 67,000 Pakistanis Missing Hajj – Full Refund by August 15

Islamabad – In a major relief for thousands of disappointed pilgrims, the Senate Standing Committee has directed the Ministry of Religious Affairs to refund Rs. 36 billion to the 67,000 Pakistanis who were unable to perform Hajj this year. The refunds are to be completed by August 15, according to the committee’s decision.

The issue was discussed in a meeting chaired by Senator Aun Abbas Bappi, where it was revealed that private Hajj operators’ inefficiency and a court-issued stay order had prevented tens of thousands from making the sacred journey.

Secretary for Religious Affairs, Dr Atta ur Rehman, informed the committee that Pakistan was allotted a quota of 179,210 pilgrims by Saudi Arabia, of which 90,830 were designated to be handled by private Hajj operators. However, under new Saudi regulations, only those operators managing groups of 500 to 2,000 pilgrims were deemed eligible — a requirement most Pakistani operators failed to meet.

Director General of Hajj, Abdul Wahab Soomro, stated that private operators only managed to register 63,844 individuals, and out of those, only 26,986 paid their full dues and proceeded for Hajj. The remaining pilgrims’ funds are still held in Saudi accounts, amounting to 489 million Saudi Riyals (approximately Rs. 36 billion).

Senator Bushra Anjum Butt expressed frustration at the absence of the Hajj Operators Association of Pakistan (HOAP) and noted that many complaints had been received from overseas Pakistanis regarding the issue.

The committee chairman instructed that all affected applicants must be refunded in full and without deductions by August 15. This directive is expected to provide financial relief and clarity to thousands who had planned to undertake the pilgrimage but were unable to proceed due to administrative shortcomings.